With 18 kills, Jourdynaire Kekauoha-Viena leads the Long Beach City College women’s volleyball team wins its thrilling match against Grossmont City College 27-25, 25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 15-9, on Oct. 21.
The Vikings opened the night by capturing a tight first game 27-25 after battling through a stern defensive effort brought by the Griffins player Tatum Lawton with 20 digs.
In the second game, the Vikings established a formidable attack to power ahead to a 25-21 win. Middle blocker Marissa Krebs and outside/opposite hitter Jourdynaire Kekauoha-Viena constructed a dominant wall at the net in game two, effectively neutralizing Grossmont’s outside hitters.
Grossmont responded in the third game, as the Vikings experienced defensive stumbles, midway through the game, the Vikings slowed the tempo and climbed back into a 13-13 tie.
Both teams engaged in extended, highly competitive rallies as momentum shifted back and forth.
The Griffins ultimately took game three 25-22 on a decisive kill to stay alive in the match.
In game four, the Vikings took an early 5-3 lead, but the Griffins quickly leveled the score at 10-10.
The highlight of the fourth game occurred when Krebs and Kekauoha-Viena overpowered a Griffins kill attempt at the net, forcing an out-of-bounds error on Grossmont’s follow-up attack.
Vikings women’s volleyball middle blocker Gabriella Loy jumps to spike the ball during LBCC’s match against Grossmont College on Oct. 22 at the Long Beach City College Hall of Champions. LBCC won the match 27-25, 25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 15-9. (Steve Gonzalez)
The Griffins regained control through consistent attacking plays to take the fourth game 25-18 and push the match to a tiebreaker.
The fifth and final game belonged to the home team as the Vikings set the tone with an early 5-2 run.
Outside hitter Elizabeth Filiaga anchored the final charge, leading the Vikings’ attack throughout the tiebreaker.
The Vikings closed out the fifth game 15-9 to complete the match victory.
“They’re able to respond when a team pushes them,” said Vikings head coach Tyler Jackson.
LBCC compiled 59 total kills and 35 team digs during the five-game contest to propel their season record forward.
Kekauoha-Viena expressed how much the players on the sidelines helped encourage the players on the court.
“If we’re crying on the court, we hear them on the sidelines and they’re just cheering us on.”
Kekauoha-Viena added, “We’ve started to bond, not even, as a team, but just as individuals.”
As The Vikings prepare for their next game, the team will look to build on their already strong bond, and continue on with the same “competitiveness and sense of grit” as said by head coach Jackson.
The Vikings next game is on Oct. 28 against Compton at 6:00 p.m.
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