Walnut, Calif. – In a showdown between the top teams from the North and South Divisions of the South Coast Conference, the Mt. SAC Women's Volleyball Team claimed the bragging rights with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Long Beach City College on Friday, November 14. The five-set thriller boosts the Mounties to 21–5, while the Vikings drop to 16–9. Because this was a conference crossover match, both squads remain perfect in their respective divisions at 8–0.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1: Long Beach 25, Mt. SAC 19
Mt. SAC jumped out to a hot 4–0 start, but a few attack and serve-receive errors opened the door for Long Beach to take control. Emma Carson and Kayla Staveley paced the Mounties' offense, while Nyla Hankins and Ryleeh Tuaolo powered the Vikings to the opening-set win.
Set 2: Mt. SAC 25, Long Beach 23
After being quiet in Set 1, Sydney Valentine said, "absolutely not" and erupted for six kills in the second frame. Eva Fisher added three more, and the Mounties evened the match at 1–1.
Set 3: Mt. SAC 30, Long Beach 28
In the most competitive and longest set of the match, which stretched deep into extra points, the Mounties edged the Vikings 30–28. Mt. SAC tallied 17 kills and hit .278, narrowly outpacing Long Beach's 16 kills and .195 hitting percentage—proof of just how evenly matched these two powerhouse programs are.
As expected, Valentine continued her dominance with eight more kills, while Carson added four and delivered several key serving runs to keep momentum on the Mounties' side. Staveley chipped in three kills as both teams traded points in a marathon frame that had the crowd on edge. After ties at 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28, Mt. SAC finally closed it out on a Long Beach error followed by a clutch Carson kill.
Set 4: Long Beach 25, Mt. SAC 15
In a set that clearly wasn't their best, the Mounties managed just seven kills while Long Beach posted 11. More than a dozen combined attack, service, and receive errors made the uphill climb even tougher. Meanwhile, Kyla Jones and Tuaolo kept the Vikings steady and in control to force a deciding fifth set.
Set 5: Mt. SAC 15, Long Beach 12
Refocused and ready to finish, the Mounties stormed out to a 10–5 lead. Long Beach fought back to make it 11–10, but Mt. SAC held strong with a kill from Yaretzi Silva, a couple of Viking errors, and—of course—a finishing kill from Carson to close out the win.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- Sydney Valentine: Game-high 18 kills, 11 digs
- Emma Carson: 15 kills, 11 digs, 1 block assist
- Morgan Wilson: 41 assists, 12 digs
- Eva Fisher: 4 kills, 3 digs, 4 solo blocks (game-high)
NEXT UP:
Playoff seeding will be released Tuesday, November 18. Stay tuned to see who the Mounties will face in the postseason!
STAY CONNECTED:
Follow Mt. SAC Women's Volleyball on Twitter @MtSAC_WVB or Instagram /mtsacvolleyball/
Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on Twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics
For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.
