The No. 13 Santa Barbara City College Women’s Volleyball team won both of their matches at the Hartnell Tri on Friday, beating the hosts 3-1 before sweeping Folsom Lake.

“In both matches today, we showed flashes of the game we hope to produce on a more consistent basis, and flashes of our youth,” Head Coach Kat Niksto said. “Izzy did a good job taking the majority of the serve receive passes and scooping up tons of digs on defense. Her steady play helps pace us.”

Sophomore libero Isabella Lopez-Gonzalez was brilliant, earning 42 digs across the two matches. That number is even more impressive given the team only played seven sets, so she tallied six digs per set in two winning efforts.

SBCC 3, Hartnell 1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 27-25)

The first set against Hartnell was the Vaqueros’ best, hitting .370 (12-2-27) on the way to a 25-22 win. After dropping the second, they regrouped to take the third even more comfortably, 25-20.

The fourth set went to extra points, with the Vaqueros prevailing. Despite the three-plus-hour drive for a 1 p.m. start, Santa Barbara shut the door with a 27-25 clincher.

Lopez-Gonzalez had 24 digs and pin hitter Aubrielle LaPointe had 17. Juliette Dekker had 10 kills, but Osby Judd-Wade‘s 14 with five aces led the team. She moved around playing both in the middle and on the right, with her versatility and big plays proving crucial to the team’s win.

Makeleta Leilani Stepp also did her role well, logging a team-high three blocks while coming off the bench.

SBCC 3, Folsom Lake 0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-17)

In match two, the Vaqueros made quick work of Folsom Lake while continuing to build chemistry. Only hitting .231 in the first set—their lowest of the match—they won by their most comfortable score of the day, 25-13.

The second set was much closer as they prevailed by the minimum two points—25-23. With the two-set cushion, they cruised to a 25-17 victory in the third. Thus, they headed home from Salinas with two wins in the bag.

Outside hitter Morgane Breault came off the bench to lead the team in kills (eight) without a single attack error in 15 attempts.

“Morgane came into the second match and just executed the game plan with such focus, leading to her success,” Niksto said.

Her seven digs were second only to Lopez-Gonzalez’s 18. The libero also led the team with 4 aces. Stepp hit 7-1-11 (.545) to lead the team in hitting percentage.

“Leilani, in her first action of the year, was a nice spark in the middle with both her offense and defense at the net,” Niksto said.

“The matchups get tougher tomorrow, so we’re looking forward to seeing how this young team plays at home [Robertson Gym] for the first time,” she concluded.

The Vaqueros drive back and immediately turn around to host the three-team SBCC Tri on Saturday. They start with No. 19 Saddleback at 1 p.m. before playing Pasadena at 6 p.m. The two visiting teams play each other in between, tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m.