Vaqueros storm back to clip L.A. Mission, 3-2

SBCC fell behind 2-0 on Wednesday night, then won the last three sets to nip L.A. Mission 3-2 for its first 5-set victory of the season. The scores were 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-6.

The Vaqueros (7-11, 3-3 WSC North) had swept the Eagles (5-10, 1-4) in the first meeting on Sept. 27.

Santa Barbara jumped ahead 5-2 in the fifth set and expanded it to 9-3 on a kill from the back row by Lauren Holsted. Leading 10-6, the Vaqueros scored the last five points, capped by a Gabi Brewer kill, a down-the-line putaway by Holsted and Jordan Falconer's kill down off the block on match point.

"I honestly had to yell at the team a little bit because they were losing their energy after the first two games," said Falconer, a freshman middle blocker from Bishop Diego High. "I really wanted to hype everyone up and make everyone want it as much as I did personally. I showed that through cheering them on and giving them support. I really saw a change and it was amazing to see.

"It was amazing to get the last kill. Maranda (Newson) set me really well today and my three hits were working for me, so I kept calling that."

Brewer, a freshman left-hander from San Diego, led the Vaqueros with 15 kills, 13 digs and eight aces. SBCC had a season-high 17 aces.

"Going into the first two games, I think we expected them to be the same team we played down there," said Brewer. "We finally got in the right headspace and our crowd came out and hyped us up. We've been focusing on serving in practice recently and I was just trying to move it around and get it into certain zones."

The Vaqueros led 8-2, 14-4 and 18-10 in the third set until the Eagles reeled off eight straight to tie it at 18. Mission actually led 21-20 and 22-21 before Brewer delivered two straight kills and Bella Brandt served an ace on set point.

The fourth set was another Vaquero runaway (9-4, 16-7 and 20-12) that got close. SBCC went ahead 24-20 on a crosscourt kill by Holsted. The Eagles cut the deficit to one, 24-23, before Brewer ended it on a spike down the line.

"Our effort and communication really changed in the last three sets," said Newson, a freshman setter from Yorba Linda.

Madi Mullins added 10 kills and Holsted contributed eight kills and nine digs. Makenzie Phelps had seven kills and four aces while Brandt led in digs with 16.

The Vaqueros took a 15-11 lead in the first set on a block by Brewer and Mullins, then got outscored 14-7 the rest of the way.

They trailed for the first half of the second set, then took a 15-4 lead on three straight aces by Brewer. It was tied five times after that and a tip kill by Brewer made it 22-22. Mission secured the win on a kill by Audrey Altamirano, an ace from Leslie Ruano and a spike to the back line by Aurea Baltazar.

"Gabi served phenomenal and we have a very strong serving team," said SBCC coach Kat Niksto. "Our biggest detriment is we end our own serving runs. We have someone on the ropes, then we miss a serve.

"We had our backs against the wall after the first two games and I told the girls this was a wake-up call. L.A. Mission worked their butt off and played way harder than we did for a decent chunk of the match. We have a small team and we've been plagued by injuries. We struggled to find the fire and consistency in practice and it showed tonight.

"We had moments of brilliance and moments of really lazy volleyball. It was nice to see us grind out a victory. It's all a growing process and they definitely grew a little bit tonight."

Libero Casey Crockett suffered a season-ending ankle injury in practice, making an already thin SBCC lineup even thinner.

The Vaqueros have a bye on Friday, then travel to Ventura on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. match. The last time they played Ventura on Oct. 4, the Pirates won 3-1 and the teams set a CCCAA state scoring record when the Vaqueros won the second set, 45-43.


Jordan Falconer lets out a scream after getting a point in the Vaqueros' 3-2 win. She helped
rally the troops after SBCC fell behind 2-0 and got the match-clinching kill.
(Photo by Ken Sciallo/Sevilla Photography)