LBCC women’s volleyball scores the win against Mt. SAC 3-2 where two highly ranked teams put it all on the line and gave it everything they had.
This hard-fought victory helped LBCC gain a sole position as the number two team in the conference, with only Rio Hondo standing in their way.
“We had a lot of stuff going on off of the court, so being there for each other helped us have a lot of energy on the court and back each other up,” LBCC setter Enaya Vaielua on what emotions and mindset No. 16 Long Beach City College women’s volleyball secured the 3-2 victory over No. 14 rival Mt. San Antonio.
Vaielua gave this game everything she had as she accomplished a 15-kill, 15-assist, and 16-dig triple-double.
LBCC was outworked and picked apart by Mt. SAC in the first set, losing 25-13.
LBCC showed a lack of communication early on, but as the second set arrived, the communication was where it needed to be.
The Vikings blocked a few of Mt. SAC’s kill attempts which helped give them the lead. Middle blocker Mikayla Curry’s block in the middle of the set made the score 13-21.
Mt. SAC ended up playing spoiler as they came back as the set went on, taking a 23-22 lead as the set was nearing a close.
After a timeout, LBCC head coach Tyler Jackson gave a pep talk that aided LBCC to take over and win the set 27-25. An incredible block by middle blocker Ryannah Gagau capped off the set.
LBCC started hot once again as the third set got underway, securing a 13-9 lead spearheaded by a couple of hard-hit aces by defensive specialist Carmelina Infante.
LBCC still kept control as they held a 17-13 lead, but just like the last set, they couldn’t maintain a firm grasp on the lead.
Mt. SAC scored seven straight points to make it 20-17 in their favor and then took a 24-21 lead, needing one more point to secure the set victory.
LBCC came back and scored three straight points to tie it up at 24 and ended up completing the comeback and securing the set victory as Ryannah Gagau came in the clutch once again with a kill followed by a Mt. SAC mishap to give the Vikings a 28-26 set win.
“Once the sets started going by, I started to get a feel for it. The adrenaline through my body was rushing, so I knew I had to step up and do my job,” Gagau said.
Mt. SAC dominated the fourth set the entire way to send the game into the fifth set.
The fifth set was all in the hands of LBCC, securing a 15-10 win and a 3-2 match win as they swept their rival in the season series.
“For the second round of the conference, we’ve been starting pretty slow in a bunch of our matches. We started slow in the first set and then we were able to climb up in the second and third set. It’s been kind of something that they’ve been doing consistently when we’re starting slow and then we’re able to fight back. So I always have confidence in my team that we’re able to come up with the win at the end,” head coach Tyler Jackson stated after the game.
LBCC looks to keep their three game winning streak going with a total of five games left in conference before heading into regionals.