In a battle between two of California’s top 10 community college women’s volleyball programs, No. 2-ranked Pierce College ended No. 10 College of the Canyons’ six-match win streak, sweeping the Cougars, 3-0, Wednesday night at COC.
Game scores for the non-conference bout were 25-21, 25-21, and 25-19.
“We knew they were going to be tough, but we thought we had a good game plan,” said Cougars interim head coach Clay Timmons. “Here and there, we saw some good things from our team, but it wasn’t as consistent as some of the matches in the past.”
The first set saw COC and Pierce tie four times, yet the Cougars were unable to take a lead as the Bulls won set one 25-21.
PHOTOS: COC volleyball hosts Pierce
COC opened the second set strong, jumping out to a 6-3 lead. After Pierce tied the score, 7-7, six ties ensued before the Bulls pulled away for the 25-21 set-two victory.
The third set began as close as the previous two with the Cougars and the Bulls playing to a 6-6 tie. From that point, however, Pierce silenced the home crowd with a 17-6 run. Up 23-12, Pierce subbed out setter Peyton Moyles, who’s 36 assists and five service aces were pivotal to the Bulls’ success.
The Cougars pounced on this opportunity, embarking on a 6-0 run to make the score, 23-18, prompting Pierce’s head coach Nabil Mardini to bring Moyles back into the game. The Bulls went on to win set three 25-19, sweeping COC 3-0.
“We came in knowing COC was a good team,” Mardini said. “We had a good scouting report on them, and the girls did a good job executing the game plan.”
Cassidy Rosso’s 14 kills and Julia Izquierdo’s 11 digs led Pierce as they moved to 17-2 overall.
The Cougars, who drop to 11-3 on the season, were led by Daniella Villano’s nine kills, Rachel Perez’s 23 assists, Liz Baker’s four aces, and Demi Dawson’s 10 digs. They’ll look to rebound from their loss when they face Glendale Community College on Friday night at COC.
