The Lady Vaqueros lost to the College of the Canyons Cougars in a Western State Conference match up on Oct. 13 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18). Despite the loss, the Lady Vaq’s showed signs of resilience when they mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, though the team eventually fell 25-18.
Even though it was a home game, the Cougars’ fans made it feel like an away setting with chants of “SIDEOUT” resonating throughout the gymnasium. After a first set defeat, the Lady Vaq’s came back strong in the second to take a 25-23 win.
The Lady Cougars started the third set on a 7-0 run until they served the ball out of bounds. They eventually won the game 25-13, but the Lady Vaq’s made them work hard for each point.
In the fourth game the Lady Vaqueros made a solid effort to keep the game close. Their back-and-forth play was exciting, with players diving left and right to set other teammates up to make the play. Strong team play was the result of how well they communicated with each other on the court. This team spirit brought them back from what was beginning to look like another blowout.
“We blocked a lot better than we had been lately,” said coach Yvette Ybarra after the game. ” The plan coming into this game was to just play,” said Ybarra. The team worked well together, supporting one another whether their effort turned into points or not.
Even though the Lady Vaqueros lost, the team worked hard and played a great game. Not once did it show signs of defeat or loss of hope that they could win. The game ended with the Lady Cougars scoring more points, but in no other way did the Lady Vaqs “lose.”
In any sport talent is a big factor, but what wins games is hustle and defense. The Lady Vaquero’s showed a great amount of hustle and determination. Had the hustle points correlated to actual points, they would have blown the Cougars out of the gymnasium. The defensive rotations were swift and because the girl’s were so vocal with one another they were able to keep the Cougars at bay for the majority of each set.
Jessica Alvarez led the Lady Vaquero’s in kills with 17, Roxanne Domines led the team with 28 assists and Racquel Valenzuela had 9 digs. The next home game is Friday vs. West Los Angeles College at 7 p.m.
