Nicholas WireSanta Ana College women’s volleyball had a rough day on Friday, Sept. 8, losing two games, both via sweep.
SAC invited three schools for their annual quad tournament; Long Beach City, Bakersfield, and Palomar.
The Dons first lost 3-0 to 16th-ranked Long Beach City College, then followed it up with a 3-0 loss to 14th-ranked Bakersfield Community College.
However, SAC could take away some positives from their disappointing day. Against Bakersfield, all three sets were close.
For a team that recently assembled, along with a rookie head coach, they proved that they can hang around with strong opponents.
“Today helped us tremendously. Even though we had two losses, that was a valuable experience. We played two teams that have a history of doing well…I’m very happy we were able to get that [experience] today,” said head coach Myriah Kunipo-Aguirre.
In the first set, the Dons fell to a 10-3 deficit, in which they climbed back and brought the game within two points before allowing another run. Though they lost 25-19, they carried their momentum with them into the second set.
After a back-and-forth rally in the second, Santa Ana found themselves up 24-23 with game point on the line. Bakersfield scored the following three points and won 26-24.
“Being able to dig deep and finish out these games,” said Kunipo-Aguirre. “I was trained as a libero. I am all about defense. I’ve been continuing [to emphasize] in practice: serving and passing. That’s what will keep us in the game.”
A problematic theme throughout the game and during their late collapse was a lack of communication. This hurt their timing, which left them vulnerable to the powerful outside hitters from Bakersfield.
Their last set, once again, got away from them late. They lost 25-22 and were swept off their home court.
The Dons, 2-4, now look ahead to Wednesday, Sept. 13 against the 1-6 Palomar Comets. Palomar also went 0-2 in the tournament.
