By Ayden Vasquez

Cypress College proved to be no match for the Riverside City College volleyball team during Tuesday’s intense match. The Riverside team dominated the game with remarkable teamwork and powerful serves, securing a decisive victory.

The underdog Riverside City College women’s volleyball team achieved a sweeping victory against the 14th-ranked Cypress College in a thrilling home match on Oct. 25.

“Coming off of our past few losses and the forfeit against Santiago Canyon, it feels great to get a win at home,” said opposite hitter Nina Peay. “We have been doing well and I am extremely proud of everybody.”

Entering the first set, both teams played phenomenally. Both Riverside and Cypress were very evenly matched in almost all aspects of the game. Despite their closely matched opponents, RCC’s determined and defensive approach propelled them to victory in the first set with a score of 25-14.

“We needed to step up our game and that required a lot of defense,” said head coach Clara Lowden. “We knew they had some great hitters so being able to dig up what they sent our way was crucial if we wanted to pull out a win.”

In the first set, the Tigers displayed a strong defensive performance, effectively countering Cypress’s strategies. However, in the second set, Cypress transitioned from a neutral approach to a more aggressive, attack-oriented style. This shift allowed them to score eight consecutive points in the middle of the set.

Fortunately, the defensive training in practice paid off as RCC would stop the attacks made by Cypress long enough for them to catch and make it an even score late in the second set. After slowing down the tempo of the game, the Tigers would go on to win the second set 23-25 with those last four points coming from service aces.

“After playing them earlier in the season and losing, I can tell that as a team all we wanted was a win and we did just that,” said outside hitter Lanah Bergen “It’s only made better by the fact that we took down the 14th-ranked team in the state as well so that is a big morale booster.”

The third set proved to be the most intense of the game, with both teams showcasing their speed, attacking prowess, and defensive skills. However, the heightened intensity also brought about mental mistakes, with the Chargers  defense making more errors compared to the Tigers.

Their mental mistakes would help the Tigers go on to win the third set 22-25 and complete the sweep against their highly-ranked opponent. Almost half of those points coming from Peay as she finished the game with ten kills.

“It feels great taking down a higher opponent. We’re tied now, but no one comes into our home and beats us.” said Peay.

The Tigers will take on Fullerton College on their sophomore night. The matchup will take place at Wheelock Gymnasium on Nov. 8.