Santa Barbara, Calif. – In a thrilling match between two evenly matched teams, both entering the contest with identical 19-7 records, the Mt. SAC Women's Volleyball Team emerged victorious over Santa Barbara City College in the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Tuesday, November 26. The Mounties claimed the win in four sets, overcoming a second-set loss to finish with scores of 25-15, 25-20, 21-25, and 25-23.

This victory marked the Mounties' second win over Santa Barbara this season. Their first meeting ended in a straight-set sweep during the Bakersfield Quad Tournament in August.

Throughout the match, Mt. SAC demonstrated impressive grit and determination, relying on consistent contributions from their starters and strategic rotations of two liberos to maintain momentum across all four sets.

Middle blocker Jordyn Romano, a First Team All-Conference and SoCal All-Region Team honoree, delivered an outstanding performance, recording a season-high 20 kills on 35 attempts with an impressive .457 hitting percentage. Romano also contributed five blocks, demonstrating her versatility on both offense and defense.

Libero Mayah Tiscareno anchored the defense with a season-high 30 digs, while setter Eva Becerra orchestrated the offense with 36 assists. Other key contributors included Emma Carson (five blocks, six digs, and six kills), Candace Ceballos (eight kills and 12 digs), Itzel Aguayo (six kills, four digs, and four blocks), Eva Fisher (five blocks) and Freda Lei (12 digs).

"We ran a new offense today, and it paid off," said Head Coach Samantha Neely. "Our team showed focus, determination, and hunger on the court. There were things we've been working on for a long time that finally clicked, and it was fun to see their success today."

The No. 10-seeded Mounties now advance to the Southern California Regional Finals, where they will face No. 2-seeded San Diego Mesa on Saturday, November 30, at 5:00 PM. The Mounties previously faced San Diego Mesa in the Mt. SAC Tri-Tournament earlier this season, suffering a straight-set loss. This round also marks a rematch of last year's Regional Finals, where Mt. SAC fell to San Diego Mesa 3-1, narrowly missing a berth in the State Championships.

With the State Championships returning to Mt. SAC this year, the Mounties are eager for redemption and determined to advance further. Will their new offensive strategy be enough to overcome the defending state champions? Stay tuned to find out!

Good luck, ladies—your fans are cheering you on every step of the way!

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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.