Written by: Dorothy McCarty
Riverside City College defeated Cerritos College for its seventh volleyball game of this season Sept. 23 at home in the Arthur N. Wheelock Gym.
The Tigers started the first set by jumping out to a quick seven to three lead before Cerritos came to tie the set at eight a piece. RCC would go on to take the lead 14-8 and would seal the game at 25-16.
Containing Cerritos was a little more difficult in the second set, as there were 10 ties and five lead changes. 13-12 was the closest this game was before RCC was able to capture the victory 25-18.
RCC led the Falcons the entire time during the third set. Cerritos was able to tie the set at nine after scoring four unanswered points before the Tigers coach Monica Hayes-Trainer took a timeout to talk to her club.
RCC came out of the timeout and took a fast 12-10 lead which they expanded onto a 22-12 lead before winning the set 25-18 and completing the sweep.
When asked what Hayes-Trainer told her group during that timeout to break up the Falcons momentum, she emphasized that the team needed to get back their basic style of play and to not get caught up in what Cerritos was doing.
“I saw some things that didn’t look like us or our type of play. I wanted to wake them up a bit and get back to what we know,” Hayes-Trainer said.
The game was a great chance for Riverside City College to fine-tune some things they have been working on this season.
The game also provided a fresh look at middle blocker and outside hitter Lauren Reed, who is returning from injury.
Hayes-Trainer noted that middle blocker and outside hitter Lauren Reed helped the team during the game, Reed is returning from an injury she suffered against Santa Monica College
“It’s nice having the return of Lauren Reed,” Hayes-Trainer said. “She is a very mature, experienced player that does a lot of great things for us.”
Reed had been out for several weeks after suffering an injury in the second game of the season. In her return against Cerritos, Reed had seven kills, which was the third most among her teammates.
RCC look to collect its third consecutive win Sept. 29 at San Bernardino to improve their overall record to 7-1.
