The No. 5 SBCC women’s volleyball team shook off some early nerves and stepped up in the big moments on Tuesday night at the Sports Pavilion, sweeping No. 12 Golden West in the first round of the SoCal Regional Playoffs, 26-24, 25-17, 25-18.
The Vaqueros (23-4) allowed the Rustlers (16-8) to open all three sets with a scoring run, but they flexed their resilience each time. Opposite Caroline McCarty’s attacking presence was felt early and often, as she led all players with 13 kills (.448).
The win moves the Vaqueros past the first round for the first time since 2016. They’ll host No. 13 Grossmont on Saturday.
“It’s a huge win,” said SBCC coach Kat Niksto. “I think coming in as the favorite in this match, I felt a lot of pressure just wanting to make sure that we performed the way I know this team can.
“We talked about it — ‘It’s okay to be nervous. It’s okay to not score the first point, but you’ve got to score the last point.’ I’m really proud of how we stayed focused throughout the game, and that when the pressure was on, that’s when we played our best.”
Middles Paige Rudi (5 blocks) and Karoline Ruiz (4) were solid at the net once again, combining for nine of the Vaqueros’ 11 blocks.
Setter Emma Crabbe was aggressive on the attack, tying a season-best with her third six-kill performance of 2021. She also went for 34 assists and nine digs.
“We’ve talked a lot this season about what this group has been through,” said Niksto. “A lot of (the players) were here during the COVID year, so even though the roster says freshman, they’re academically sophomores, and we’ve been together for two years.
“I know that this is a special team, and that we can do special things. To get this first win under our belt was kind of the kickoff that we need. I’m just so proud of how hard they work.”