Freshmen Lead the Charge in Another 2-0 Win Day

In the first match of the day, the Vaqueros showed up ready to play, and completed the 3-set sweep of MiraCosta by the scores of 25-10, 25-23, 25-21. Coach Niksto said, "I told the team after the match, we played so well that we made a really solid team look very average. That's a credit to how well our team played from top to bottom." 

It was another well balanced offensive game for the Vaqueros, who seem to have a different kill leader in almost every match. Leading the way versus MiraCosta were outside hitters Nevaeh Tillet and Tana Long with 9 kills apiece, followed closely behind by Kaylin Cooney (6 kills) and Grace Demmel (5 kills). 

Setter Brielle Smith led the team with 24 assists in the match. Coach Niksto spoke about the setter, "Brie did a great job handling all of the setting duties in the 3rd set, a first for her in her young Vaqueros career. She had great connection with all of her hitters, leading the team to a .517% hitting percentage in that third set!"

 

In the second match of the day, the Vaqueros were pushed to their first 5-set match of the season. The back and forth affair found the Vaqs down 2 sets to 1, before fighting their way back in the 4th set to force a deciding game 5. The final scores were 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-11. The match showcased the Vaqueros' youthful stars with their freshmen players leading the charge. Four freshmen had career setting nights, led by outside hitter Tana Long with 18 kills, which also led all Vaqueros. She was followed by opposite hitter Kaylin Cooney who had 14 kills, setter Brielle Smith who had 58 assists, and libero Valeria Bellodas who led the team with 37 digs. Coach Niksto spoke of the four, "Tana has been working so hard all season, playing all 6 rotations and taking so many swings for us. I am happy to see her hard work pay off with a career offensive night. Kaylin has been so consistent for us on the right, which is even more impressive given that it's a new position for her. She leads our team in kills, and it's no secret she is a beast at the net! Brie was really thrust into setting the 5-1 for this match, and proved she can handle the stress, accept coaching during a match, keep a level head, and lead her team to a hard fought victory. And Val, she has performed at such a high level, in every match this season. She is such a steady serve-receive passer, she makes it look easy really, and she gives her team such a level of confidence."

In the pivotal 4th set, the Vaqs were down 10-14 before a missed serve by IVC followed by an ace by Carolina Koceman helped ignite the comeback. The Vaqs proceeded to tie the game up at 14-14, and again at 16-16, before pulling ahead to 20-16 and finishing the game off at 25-17. 

Coach Niksto said, "I am so proud of this win, for so many reasons. To be honest, we were not playing our best volleyball for most of this match. Credit to IVC, they played their hearts out and never let a ball drop on defense. It was the first time we have truly struggled to find our way in a match, but with our backs against the wall in set 4 - we stepped up and performed. Credit to several players who came into the match late, and really helped change the momentum: outside hitter Lina Husek (9 kills, 7 digs), middle blocker Carly Hanna (4 kills, 2 blocks) and defensive specialist Carolina Koceman (8 digs, 1 ace). I always talk about how volleyball is such a team sport and truly takes a whole team effort to win, and we definitely showcased the strength and depth of our team in this match!"

 

The Vaqueros continue their long non-conference homestand with their next match being another home game Wednesday Sep 11th at 6pm vs Long Beach.