The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s volleyball team grinded out a hard-fought win against the College of the Sequoias in the first round of playoffs at home on Nov. 23.
Ahead of the match, the Giants were looking to bounce back with a win following defeats to Taft College and Fresno City College. Similarly, the Bear Cubs were looking for their first win in November. SRJC were without Kiana Walker, an integral part of the team, for this match due to a concussion.
“[Walker] has been a starter for us in every match we’ve played so far this season, and she’s out with a concussion right now, so our week of prep was getting [Eve Mendoza] ready. [She] stepped up huge for us tonight.” said Head Coach Ally Sather.
The opening set saw the Bear Cubs storm out of the gate, with strong performances from freshman Luka Amand and Mendoza. They both came up with strong blocks and kills respectively, which helped the Bear Cubs go into the first time out with a secure, 15-8 lead.
A solid defensive performance from SRJC limited the Giants throughout the set, with Mendoza scoring a team-high four block assists in the game, followed closely by Lily Comma, Sarah Thornton and Katie Brenninger who all recorded two. The Bear Cubs got through the set comfortably, winning 25-14.
The second set saw the Giants find their stride, as they opened the score via a kill that evaded SRJC outside hitter Madison Shaw, from middle blocker/opposite Mariana Lopez. The Bear Cubs fought back and established a five-point lead over the Giants.
The Giants started to come out on the winning end of longer rallies, eventually clawing their way back into the set. Powerful blocks from the Giants’ middle blocker/opposite Faizia Mamea contributed massively to the comeback, which saw them take the set 25-18, tying the match up, 1-1.
The Bear Cubs jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the third set. Despite this, the set turned into a back-and-forth game, ramping up the intensity. Both the bench and the home contingent were up for it, supporting the team throughout the entire set.
Strong performances from defensive specialist Jaiden Brooner, who recorded a team-high 17 digs, and outside hitter Stephanie Melendez who followed closely behind with 12, gave the team the foundation they needed to build on their performances.
Alongside her, outside hitter Madison Shaw had a busy night as she recorded ten kills and digs respectively, which saw her score the second most points, 12, just trailing Brenninger who scored 17. The set went to the wire, but the Bear Cubs dug deep and took the set 25-24.
SRJC once again came out of the gates firing in the final set. Brenninger led the team with 16 kills on the night, supported by Thornton and Amand who each scored nine. Comma’s emphatic strike put an end to an otherwise-rowdy opposing bench, giving the Bear Cubs a 25-15 set win, and 3-1 match win.
“My overall reaction is that I’m stoked,” Sather said. “That was a great, gritty win for my team. We adapted to some real intensity. We played really tough and we were able to win a lot of the long rallies tonight which just shows the hard work, dedication, and effort that we’ve been training all season really paying off at the right time.”
Mendoza spoke on her performance, filling in for Walker and the preparation coming into this match.
“I feel like I gave everything I could to the team and got nothing but energy and support back from them. I’ve definitely got room to improve, but playing with a team that believes in me makes all the difference,” she said.“Most of my prep was mental work. Going over what I know about our opponents, shutting down negative thoughts that popped up, and reminding myself to trust my skills. Keeping my head in the game and out of any fears is super important for me, especially when the stakes are higher and the pressure’s on.”
The Bear Cubs will be hosted by American River College in the next round of playoffs on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
