East Los Angeles Volleyball Wins 3-1 over Long Beach City
MONTEREY PARK, CA – The Husky volleyball team (9-9 Overall, 3-4 SCC) concluded round one of conference play with a 3-1 set win (15-25, 25-11, 25-9, and 25-22) over the Long Beach City College, Vikings (8-10 Overall, 3-4 SCC).
The Huskies began the night a little slow, but soon found its rhythm in set 2 where they came alive with several key stuff blocks. Sophomores Eriazmin Mauries and Vanessa Gutierrez together put up a wall that lead to 5 stuffed blocks. Accompanying the five stuff blocks, the Huskies posted 43 Kills, 57 Digs, 7 Service Aces, and 10 stuff blocks. The Huskies hit a season high .401 and out blocked the Vikings 10-3.
Competitive serving, serve receive passing, and defense were critical elements to tonight’s game that pushed the Huskies out in front of the Vikings.
“Tonight was a good performance”, head coach Elliott Walker said. “Tonight’s match could have been tough for us had we not worked on several key concepts to improve our overall performance after falling in a slump in the previous weeks. We worked on making a few adjustments in our system to get attackers and defenders in better positions on the floor. Evidenced in tonight’s match were several key strategies that helped us to flow smoother and scoring consistent points. For example, there were instances during performance that the athletes scrambled for balls and made things happen and boosted the athlete’s morale”.
In the first set, the two teams traded scores until the Vikings took a 16-14 lead. The Huskies made consecutive unforced errors permitting the Vikings to run away with the first set. That win was short lived. The Huskies jumped out in the second set 14-9 forcing a Viking time out. The Huskies did not fret over the time out and came out stronger. The Huskies were lead by freshman hitter Breanna Trujillo (14 Kills, 10 Digs, 1 Service Ace, and 1 Solo Block). Breanna received support from teammates, Mia Madot(11 Kills, 12 Digs, 3 Service Aces, and 1 Solo Block), Jaqueline Montoya (3 Kills, 3 Digs, and 2 Block Assists), Alexis Salazar (3 Kills, 1 Dig, 1 Solo Block, and 1 Assist Block), and Eriazmin Mauries (12 Kills, 6 Digs, 2 Solo Blocks, and 3 Assist Blocks). On the defensive end, setter Vanessa Gutierrez anchored 14 assist attacks, 12 digs and setter Angela Carrasco posted 15 assist attacks, 5 digs, and 3 service aces. Defensive specialist Jenifer Martinez controlled the floor with 8 critical digs and a service ace that added to the Huskies 55 earned points.
After winning the second set 25-11, the Huskies set out to conquer the third set. The Huskies jumped out 8-1 and after a Viking time out took a 21-6 lead. The Huskies outscored the Vikings 14-3 in attacks. Feeling the rhythm, the Huskies found themselves executing a quick dig-to-kill transition game that put them on top.With consistent pass-set-attack and serving, the Huskies put away set three 25-9.
Moving into the fourth set, the Huskies were confident in its play. The Huskies and Vikings traded point for point. The Vikings were lead by #4 outside hitter Bra’Shawnda Byrd. The Huskies were down by 2 points 19-21 and rallied back to score four points that put them in front of the Vikings 23-22. After a Viking time out, the Huskies would not allow a ball to drop to the floor and executed two effective transition offenses that shut the door and a win for the Huskies.
The Huskies will return to action on Wednesday, October 29th at 6PM with a home match against Los Angeles Harbor College followed by a match at El Camino College, Thursday, October 30th at 6PM