Santa Barbara High girls volleyball battled to a five-set loss to Camarillo High in the season opener on Tuesday in Camarillo.
The Dons came out of the gates hot with back-to-back set wins but struggled to close it out and suffered the reverse sweep, 25-20, 25-23, 20-25, 15-25, 7-15.
“Overall it was a well-fought match against a strong offensive team,” Santa Barbara High head coach Kristin Hempy said. “It’s a good learning experience for us to get a five-set match in early in the season and push ourselves a little.
“This group is starting off in a really promising place, and despite the loss tonight I’m excited by what we saw on the defense in the back row, with our setters’ creativity, and some talented blockers.”
Senior Blake Saunders hammered down a team-high 21 kills for the Dons, while junior Juliana Horton (28) and Eloise Becker (14) combined for 42 assists to share the setting duties.
Juniors Kira Elliot and Talia Yoshimi contributed on the outside as well with six and five kills, respectively.
Santa Barbara High (0-1) will look to bounce back on the road against Mission College Prep on Thursday in San Luis Obispo.
