SBCC came out blazing on Wednesday night, hitting .448 in the first set and taking a 13-3 lead on the way to a 3-0 women’s volleyball victory over Santa Monica at the Sports Pavilion. The scores were 25-12, 25-16, 25-17.
It was the eighth sweep in 11 matches for the Vaqueros (10-1), who are ranked No. 3 in the state. Tuesday was their second straight home match after playing the first nine on the road.
“We didn’t know much about them, so we just pretended they were like Grossmont, a really good team and that’s why we won the first two sets,” said sophomore outside hitter Shannon Friend. “Then we kind of went on cruise control in the third set.”
Setter Kiana Pisula had a double-double with 23 assists and 10 digs. Kaylene Ureno and Carolyn Andrulis led in kills with seven apiece. Ureno hit .400 and had 10 digs while Andrulis recorded a .316 hitting percentage. Friend added six kills and three aces.
The Vaqueros broke open a 12-10 game with a 9-2 run in the second set that stretched the lead to 21-12. SBCC led 7-2 in the third set before the Corsairs (1-10) rallied to tie it at 10 and 11. After holding a slim 18-16 lead, Santa Barbara closed the third set on a 7-1 run to secure the sweep.
“Our game plan was to concentrate on first contact, make sure we were in system and get the middles established early — all the little things that make us a solid unit,’ said SBCC coach Ed Gover. “The more we get our middles involved early, the more it will help us down the stretch.
The Vaqueros will take on West L.A. on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the first round of the eight-team L.A. Pierce Invitational in Woodland Hills.