The Riverside City College women’s volleyball team suffered their first conference loss after being swept 3-0 at the hands of the Saddleback College Gauchos on Oct. 11.
Both teams entered the game undefeated in conference play, making this a highly anticipated matchup for who would remain undefeated.
Despite the final result, the Tigers showed resilience throughout, primarily in their first two sets, with standout performances from Kilyn Hayes, who finished with nine kills and seven digs.
In the first set, the Tigers came out aggressively, matching the Gauchos point for point. After tying the game at 10-10 and again at 16-16,
The Tigers went toe to toe with the Gauchos, however, misplaced momentum allowed the Gauchos to take the first set, 25-22.
Hayes played a key role during the first set.“My team depends on me a lot and it comes with a lot of pressure,” she said, “I can handle the pressure.”
The second set saw each team fight tooth and nail. Though the Tigers started shaky and trailed 9-4, they refused to backtrack.
They played aggressively and went on a five-zero run, pressuring the Gauchos and reducing the deficit with the Gauchos.
The energy in the Wheelock Gymnasium was electric as the Tigers went on this five-point run.
“When we get a point lead we play as a team and everyone’s energy is there, it felt good to get those points,” Isabel Reyes said.
Hayes echoed the significance of retaining momentum.
“Having leads is amazing,” she said. “It’s something you want to keep and build off of during games like these.”
Despite their efforts, the Gauchos regrouped and won the set 25-17.
The Tigers’ flashes of brilliance weren’t enough to live longer than Saddleback’s consistency, but it shows their resilience and capacity to shut gaps.
In the third set, the Tigers came out swinging again and decided to alternate their approach. They held the Gauchos near early on, switching to a heavy offensive attack. But Saddleback, riding the momentum from the previous two sets, pulled away to take the final set 25-14.
“It was disappointing, it was not our best game”. Said assistant coach Atsaros “We know we need to play a different game and play our best game.”
The loss ended the Tiger’s undefeated conference run, but the team stayed hopeful.
“It was a tough loss. We wanted to go 8-0. It is a learning experience we can bounce back from” Hayes said.
“We gotta put the work in and get back into it” Tabitha Irish.
The Tigers intend to regroup and get back to winning ways as they face Golden West on Oct. 16, with hopes of turning this setback into fuel for the remainder of the season.
