By Glen Willett / Staff Writer
By Glen Willett / Staff Writer
Although they won’t finish the season with a .500 record and are unlikely to qualify for the regional playoffs, the Riverside City College women’s volleyball team continues to play hard for coach Monica Trainer and have won two of its last three matches.
Riverside was able to snap a three match losing skid by going on the road to defeat Saddleback College in four games on Nov. 4.
Five days later in the home finale, the Tigers upset Cypress College in four games in what might have been RCC’s best performance of the season.
Despite losing the first game to Cypress by a score of 25-22, Riverside was able to rally and win the next three games by scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 28-26 respectively.
Sophomore Breeana Mayes was all over the floor for the Tigers and had one of the team’s best all-around performances on the year; turning in 12 kills, 21 assists and seven digs.
Sophomore Rosetta Becerra also had a great all-around game leading the team in kills (15) as well as finishing tied with sophomore Christina Luna for the team lead in digs on the night (nine).
Before the game RCC paid tribute to their sophomores with each receiving flowers from coach Trainer and taking a group photo prior to the opening serve.
The back-to-back wins have come to be a theme of the 2011 season for RCC as it marked the third time this season they have won at least two games in a row, despite having only won just 11 games total on the year.
However a loss to Irvine Valley College on Nov. 11 in straight sets wiped a lot of the optimism brought on by the two wins and officially ended any shot RCC had at finishing with an even record without a postseason berth.
A less impressive fun fact about the Tigers schedule this year is that they will finish the season without having beaten a team with a winning record. This will hurt the team’s offseason prospects despite playing in perhaps the strongest conference in the state this year, the Orange Empire Conference.
The Tigers (11-13, 4-9) will close their regular season schedule out on Nov. 16 in a very winnable match against conference doormat Santa Ana College.
The Dons have yet to defeat an Orange Empire Conference opponent this year and have won just one game total.
RCC has already beaten Santa Ana once this season, Oct. 21 in Riverside, and will look to end the season on a high note with a win.
On Nov. 17 there will be a meeting between the coaches of the conference and the playoff teams as well as individual conference awards winners should be announced shortly after.
