On Nov. 6, the Santa Monica College women’s volleyball team triumphed in four sets against College of the Canyons, with outside hitters Mia Whitlock and Nadene Taase leading the way. Whitlock finished the night with 18 kills and Taase had 16. The Corsairs racked up their 10th straight win and remain undefeated in conference play. Before the game, the team celebrated the sophomores from both teams. The Cougars sophomores received flowers, while the Corsair sophomores walked out with their families as they were introduced by their head coach, Christian Cammayo.
Cammayo had nothing but praise for his sophomore class this year.
“I appreciate this sophomore class a lot. They’re culture bearers, the way they lead will carry over to next year,” he said. “Really hardworking, since they have arrived they’ve put on their hard hats.”
The Corsairs are coming off a crucial win against Bakersfield College, solidifying their position in first place in conference. Cammayo credited the team's focus and composure for their success in the last ten matches.
Whitlock and Taase led the Corsairs in scoring all night, but it was not enough in the first set as they fell short 21-25. Both outside hitters finished the first set with multiple kills, but the Cougars found success through libero Amy Neno and outside hitter Martina Neveleff. Neno led a 5-0 run with her serves, while Neveleff delivered multiple kills, including one to win the set.
The Cougars carried the momentum in the second set taking an early 6-1 lead and forcing Cammayo to call a timeout. Right after the timeout, Taase stopped the bleeding with a kill. She said after the game that she flips the switch in moments of frustration.
“Me getting angry would actually motivate me, I’m gonna kill it, I’m gonna be up there, I’m gonna be better than the opponent,” she said.
Setter Lucy White contributed with a block and an ace that gave the Corsairs the lead, 9-8. Cougars head coach Clay Timmons called a timeout after an ace from SMC middle blocker Alison Cumming put the Corsairs ahead, 18-14. Whitlock came up with a dig to keep the play alive before finishing it with a kill. On the next play, she had a block to give the Corsairs two straight points. Taase finished the second set with a kill for a 25-22 win.
Whitlock started the third set with a 3-0 run with back-to-back aces and a kill. Taase added another kill to give the Corsairs an early 6-0 lead. Middle blocker Jordan Tate checked in and scored two points in a row for the Corsairs, one block and one kill.
The Corsairs found success through the Cougars errors, but also through their serves. White and setter Emersyn Ebel both had aces in the third set. The Corsairs secured the third set, 25-15. Ebel said this was one of her favorite moments of the season and that she has enjoyed her experience since transferring to SMC from San Bernardino College.
“Coming to SMC, it’s such an amazing program with so many amazing people,” she said. “It’s definitely brought a lot of joy back into playing volleyball for me.”
The fourth set started with Taase and Whitlock taking over, taking turns scoring through kills. The men’s volleyball team had made its way into the gym and, as usual, celebrated every Corsair point.
Whitlock had a powerful kill that sent the entire men’s volleyball team off the bleachers, where they began jumping and dancing on the sidelines. Whitlock finished the game with another kill as the crowd chanted “SMC” with every touch of the ball.
“What is your legacy gonna be? It’s not all about the wins and losses,” Cammayo said. "It's about when people see them on the street, what is their legacy gonna be as they go out into their lives.”