SANTA BARBARA, CA – The SBCC women's volleyball team (15-10) advanced to the second round of SoCal Regionals for the second straight year on Saturday, defeating Saddleback (15-10) with a great team win in four sets at the Sports Pavilion, 17-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20.
"We started off set one a bit tentative, and you could tell the nerves of our 50 percent freshmen starting lineup were real," head coach Kat Niksto said. "After the first set loss, we turned the tide and took the momentum for the match and would not let up."
Libero Jacelin McKie made her way back from illness and made a huge impact on the court, not letting anything hit the floor defensively while leading the team with 16 digs.
Also maing her return to the lineup from injury was setter Emma Crabbe, who was on fire leading the team with 24 assists. She also had seven kills on 12 attempts for a .538 hitting percentage.
Mikayla Butzke also shared in the setting duties, recording 18 assists of her own. Outside hitter Piper Ellbogn-Pettersen had arguably the best offensive match of her career, hitting at a .429 clip for six kills on 14 attempts with zero errors.
Middles Karoline Ruiz and Hedi Collins made their presence felt with some big time momentum-changing plays at the net, going for 10 and six kills, respectively.
The Vaqueros now move on to round two of regional action which will pit them against San Diego Mesa on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 5:00 p.m.
