(Torrance, CA) The Mt. SAC Women's Volleyball team came, oh, so close to toppling CCCWVCA No. 3-ranked Pasadena City College in the South Coast Conference championship match Saturday (November 13) at El Camino College.
The No. 12-ranked Mounties did everything they could, after losing their top player, Riley DeGroot, in the first set, and stretching the match to five marathon sets – the first four by identical scores.
Mt. SAC (20-6) eventually lost, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12. This was the second time for an SCC tournament, with the last one coming in the 2019 season.
The 20-win season is the most by the Mounties since the 2011 season when they advanced to the second round in the So Cal's.
The season still goes on despite the loss, as the CCCAA Southern California Championships are next for the Mounties. Seedings for the So Cal Regionals, which will begin Nov. 23, will be announced in the next few days.
Mt. SAC had won eight consecutive matches before the loss to PCC, and 14 of the last 15. The last loss was to PCC, which defeated Mt. SAC three times this season.
Leading the way for Mt. SAC was freshman outside hitter JJ Quarrels (12 Digs, Service Ace) and freshman opposite Michelle Walters, with 18 and 14 kills, respectively.
In addition, in their usual outstanding performances, freshman setter Ally Euston (7 D, 3 SA) had a match-leading 39 assists, along with 26 digs by freshman libero Riannel Arevalo.
The leader for PCC was Camila Sanchez-Tellez with 21 kills.
Leading, 17-16, in the opening set, DeGroot, who has a team-leading 289 kills for the season, went down on a play and never returned.
With PCC leading, 22-21, the Mounties, behind a kill from freshman opposite Victoria Arnold, a block at the net by Alicia Patterson and Allison Whiteman (8 K) and a kill by Quarrels led 24-22.
The Lancers then committed a hitting error for the Mt. SAC, 1-0 lead.
In set No. 2, Mt. SAC built up a 20-13 lead, but was outscored, 12-2, and ended on a controversial note in favor of PCC to even the set, 1-1.
Highlighting their 20-13 start, Walters and Whiteman had two kills apiece.
In the third set, neither team built up more than a four-point lead, with PCC leading at, 16-12.
The Mounties, behind four kills from Walters, went on an 8-4 run to tie the set, 20-20.
Mt. SAC finished with a 5-2 run and Quarrels ended the set with a winning tip over the net.
Highlighting the final rally was a big dig by Arevalo and Mt. SAC led, 2-1 in sets.
The fourth set was another back-and-forth affair, with the Lancers holding on for the 25-22 win to even the set, 2-2.
In the fifth and final set, the Mounties led early, 3-1, but once PCC went on a 6-1run to lead 7-4, the Mounties could never regain the lead.
With PCC leading 12-10, Patterson had a kill to bring the Mounties within one, 12-11, but the Lancers finished the match with a 3-1 run, finishing it with a kill to the back of the court.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.