(Walnut, CA) After opening with one of the two longest sets of the season against visiting Rio Hondo, an intense four-set SCC match went to the Roadrunners, 3-1, Friday (Sept. 22) night before a big home crowd.

The Mounties (6-7, 1-3) lost by scores of 29-27, 25-23, 15-25, 25-22.

Andrea Brewer (11 Digs, 1 SA) and Candace Ceballos (1 SA, 17 D) led with 20 and 14 kills, respectively for the Mounties. Sophomore middle Kyra Miller (.412 K%, 1 D) added seven kills.

Sophomore setter Capri Salmon (2 kills, 1.000 K%) had a season-high 48 assists and led the team with 18 digs, while freshman libero Brooke Olivas had 14 digs.

The match started with a marathon first set, as the Mounties trailed, 20-13, and eventually took a brief lead, 26-25, with a kill by Ceballos.

After nine set points, the Roadrunners took a 1-0 lead on a hitting error by the Mounties.

"We are working on building our mental consistency and it's not there right now," Mt. SAC coach Samantha Neely said. "I think slowly but surely, we are proving to ourselves that we are capable of that mental toughest.

"Kyra (Miller) was definitely a spark for us and when she got called to come on the court, she did a great job bringing the energy and bringing what the team needed to get some hope and fire in us."

Rio then took a 2-0 set lead, before Mt. SAC took the third set to trail, 2-1.

In that third set, it was all Mounties as they took a commanding, 19-10 lead, sparked by three kills from Brewer and two by Miller.

Ceballos was serving while the Mounties won six consecutive points.

The fourth set saw the Roadrunners get off to a 19-11 lead, but another comeback by the Mounties saw them trail, 22-20, on a kill by sophomore middle Leia Campbell (5 K, 2 SA, 1 D).

Rio finished off the match win as Mt. SAC hit the ball out of the court to win.

"(First set) I think it gave us the motivation to keep going and brought the energy into the next set," Olivas said. "I think we put up a good fight.

"We're in the middle (of the season) and it's only to get better."