Peter YencsoReporting by Peter Yensco and Sharon Tam
The Santa Ana Dons volleyball team lost their home game 3-1 against the Rio Hondo Roadrunners last Wednesday.
The first set started with the Roadrunners having the momentum, but the Dons mounted a comeback in the last half of the set, eventually tying and forcing overtime, where they would win 26-24.
“I think, defensively, we played really good. We were getting a lot of balls up, and we just played as a team,” said Cheyne Pope. “It was really good to see everyone coming together.”
Although the Dons won the first set, the Roadrunners crushed them in the remaining sets 25-18, 25-20 and 25-18. The Dons found themselves consistently losing their one to two-point leads late in sets.
“We played them last season, and we beat them, and I think they just had so much power this season that we weren’t expecting,” said outside hitter Lyric Birdsong. Birdsong is one of only five returning sophomores this season.
Rio Hondo also showcased a sturdy range of skills.
“Their middle surprised us along with their outside,” said Alexis Tortola. “They were pretty good out there.”
The loss brought Santa Ana down to a 3-5 overall record for the season.
“It was a tough loss for us … they got us with our serves and receives,” said head coach Myriah Kunipo-Augirre.
“The fourth set, I unfortunately got stuck in my head most definitely and I couldn’t get out of it,” said Dayana Avila. “They [Rio Hondo] took me out, but going back in I went in with a new mindset.”
Rio Hondo sported an imposing lineup. Roadrunner Rebecca Tarango led with 10 kills on 26 attempts and contributed defensively with 4 blocks. Nymeria Puga matched Tarango’s 10 kills on 36 attempts. Madden Mesina-Rowe added 8 kills on 19 attempts. Adelyn Wong and Katelynn Stanley each recorded 6 kills with impressive hitting percentages (.455 and .357, respectively).
Santa Ana had 16 reception efforts. Olivia Starr and Cheyne Pope led the Dons in kill percentages. Lyric Birdsong and Dayana Avila scored the majority of the 49 points on the Dons’ team.
“It was rough. We didn’t take care of business,” said assistant coach LeSauna Johnson, “[We’ll work to] just bounce back, make sure we’re above 500 and make it to the playoffs.”
“Their middle surprised us along with their outside,” said Alexis Tortola. “They were pretty good out there.”
Santa Ana will be recouping for their next home game against Orange Coast on Friday, Sep. 19.
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