Photo Credit: Andre Doty
Posted: Sep 13, 2024
In a matchup of the #17 State ranked Vaqueros versus the #7 ranked Long Beach Vikings, the Vikings came out on top 3-1: 16-25, 25-18, 25-17, 27-25.
It was a back and forth battle all night long that began with the Vaqs jumping out to an early 11-3 lead in set one led by the strong serving of Tana Long. Coach Niksto commented, "I was very proud of how we opened the match by executing our game plan on both offense and defense."
Set two proved to be a different story however, both teams traded points back and forth until 9-9, and then Long Beach began to separate. Scoring points in runs, they took the second set confidently. The third set brought another hot start for the Vaqs who jumped out to an 8-2 lead. However this time the Vikings used their sophomore leadership, and undefeated record experience to fight back and even things up at 13-13. Coach Niksto said, "Unfortunately in set 3 we made too many unforced errors, and when you let a good team back into the game, you make your job so much harder." The game was tied again at 17-17 before the Vikings used an 8 point run to close out the third set 25-17. "I was so disappointed in the large points runs we gave up in the match. We showed signs of brilliant play, but those were offset by the inability to get a side out when it really mattered most."
The final set followed much of the same script as set 3. The Vaqs showed they can compete with a top ranked team in the state, but have yet to find their consistency to close the door on those experienced teams. Coach Niksto reflected by saying, "Overall I am proud of the effort we put forward against a very strong and balanced Long Beach team. We will learn and improve from our experiences tonight. While the loss stings, we will take the lessons learned and get better for our next match, and upcoming conference play which begins in just a few weeks."
The Vaqs were once again led offensively by Freshman Opposite Kaylin Cooney with 13 kills, while setter Natalie Lercari-Sullivan recorded her 3rd double double of the season with 29 assists and a team high 13 digs.
The team's upcoming match is next Wednesday, September 18th at home v. Pasadena at 5pm.
