Corsairs get Bounce-Back Win Over Vaqueros
Santa Monica College snapped a two-game losing streak Wednesday night against Santa Barbara City College. SMC held the lead through the second set. The teams exchanged points in the third and fourth sets, until outside hitter Nadene Laalaai Taase ended the game with back-to-back kills to finish the fourth set 28-26.
With captain Mia Whitlock out, other players stepped up in the matchup against SBCC. “The entire team is responding well, we’ve been pushing them really hard.” Coach Cammayo said ahead of the match.
The first set was close early on, as the Corsairs didn’t take a strong lead until setter Brenna Owens for the Vaqueros had an error that led to SBCC’s head coach Kat Nitsko to call a timeout after her team trailed 17-12. The Corsairs took a lead after a series of plays by Taase.. “She’s really starting to come around and has responded well to everything we’ve put in front of her,” Coach Cammayo said.
Taase played the entire first set, recording two kills and a dig that led to a point for the Corsairs. Outside hitter Quincy Wilder then recorded a kill that forced SBCC to call another timeout while trailing 20-15. Middle Blocker Allison Cumming ended the set with two blocks and a kill, giving SMC a 25-16 win to end the first set,Corsairs up 1-0.
The Vaqueros opened the second set with an ace from Owens and a block that led to a point from middle blocker Makeleta Leilani Stepp. SMC Middle Blocker Anna Hocket responded with a kill and back-to-back blocks.
SBCC was forced to call another timeout after Cummings recorded another kill to make the score 17-14. The Corsairs then went on an eight-to-one run to close out the second set 25-15. Setter Emerson Angelina Ebel recorded a key dig that led to a point for the Corsairs.
Cummings recorded another two blocks in the third set, but the Vaqueros took the set. SBCC took its first lead of the night 6-4.
SMC middle blocker Lucy White checked in and served an ace that sparked a six-to-nothing run for the Corsairs. Cummings and Taase traded kills with Stepp, and SMC took a 20-16 lead. The Vaqueros turned to middle blocker who recorded a kill to tie the score at 21 and another kill to give SBCC a 23-21 lead. The Vaqueros scored two more before the Corsairs could tie the score, and SBCC won the third set 25-23.
The crowd erupted after every point, but head coach Nitsko said that's the perfect environment for her team. “I love playing in loud ruckus environments,” she said, “I think it makes the girls have more energy.”
Both teams committed several errors at the start of the fourth set. The Vaqueros carried the momentum from the third set and took a 12-9 lead over the Corsairs. Wilder recorded a kill that started a five-to-nothing run, during which White recorded a block and an ace.
Outside hitter Judd Wade recorded a kill for SBCC to cut the lead to 21-20, forcing Cammayo to call his first timeout. Cammayo stayed seated for the whole match until the fourth set brought him to his feet. “I’m actually burning hot all the time, and that's the truth,” he said. Cammayo expressed frustrations with the referees late game calls. “There were a couple of shaky calls at the end,” he said, “When they overruled the captain going up, I’m like that's ridiculous.”
The Corsairs won the fourth set 28-26 with Holder and Taase delivering the final kills.
The Corsairs will face Ventura College on the road Friday at 6 p.m.