Vaqueros post sweep in home debut

Katelynn Womack pounded 13 kills on Wednesday night and SBCC swept the Cal Lutheran JV 25-12, 25-16, 25-17 in its women's volleyball home opener at the Sports Pavilion.

The Vaqueros, ranked No. 7 in California, improved to 3-0. Cal Lutheran, an NCAA Div. 3 school, fell to 2-2.

Taylor Badois added nine kills, Kaitlyn Clemann had five and Molly Lindquist four. Sophomore setter Madelon Leiphardt handed out 36 assists and did a fine job of distributing the ball, especially to hitters from the back row.

"We worked really well as a team," said Womack, a 5-8 freshman from Rio Mesa High. "Hitting from the back row (behind the 10-foot line) is something we're trying. It's called the Bic. It's a quicker attack and it confuses the blockers. It seems to be working."

The Vaqueros erased an 8-7 deficit in the first set with an 11-1 run, ignited by a powerful kill from Womack. That boosted the lead to 18-9. They raced out to an 11-2 advantage in the second set and extended that to 13 points (22-9) on a kill by Lindquist.

"I thought we played like a unit today, very steady and everybody contributed," said coach Ed Gover. "We're coming together as a team. Maddie Leiphardt led the team by far. She's moving the ball like no other. I really enjoy watching her use all the hitters. She goes against the flow all the time, which really helps keep the other team off balance."

Leiphardt, a former Dos Pueblos High star, led the defense with 15 digs. Tristen Thompson added 14 and Eryn Young had eight. Jane Petricka collected three aces in the third set. She had back-to-back aces during a 5-1 run that extended the lead to 18-13. The Vaqueros capped the victory on a kill down the line by Womack and a block from Badois and Alissa La Rocca.

"We were a little nervous with all our friends and family here but I thought we worked really well together," said Leiphardt. "We had to come out with a ton of energy and play like we do in practice. We have a lot of weapons and a lot of good freshmen. Our defense was really good tonight.

"The energy is really good with everyone. I'm really excited about this year."

The No. 7 Vaqueros will take on No. 3 Grossmont in their first match on Saturday at the L.A. Pierce Quad, starting at 1 p.m. The Griffins were the state runner-up last year. SBCC will play Citrus at 5:30 p.m.