ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) -Slow starts in the first two sets did in the Pierce Bears’ volleyball team last Thursday at home as it fell 15-25, 13-25, 25-23, 22-25 to the rival Colusa RedHawks in a Sacramento Valley League match.
Although the Bears were able to overcome a similar situation in their match with Durham earlier last week, against the RedHawks, a repeat performance was not in the cards.
Using its serving strength, Colusa battered Pierce over the first two sets forcing the Bears into errors and effectively keeping them out of system. To their credit, however, Pierce came alive in the third set, playing with an intensity and fearlessness that allowed them to hold off the RedHawks and ignite the large crowd in attendance.
However, in what was to be the final set of the match, the Bears saw a 9-3 lead dissipate and Colusa fight back to tie at 14-all.
What then ensued in the electric atmosphere that resembled a playoff match, the two teams traded points, and were knotted at 20-20, before Colusa surged ahead and ended the match with an Elle Faris kill.
Faris had another impressive outing registering a game-high 16 kills in addition to making 14 digs but had plenty of help from her RedHawk teammates including Addison Lay, Abril Guzman and Cece Mitchum.
Lay finished with 19 assists to go along with 12 kills and 21 digs. Guzman was outstanding in the back row collecting 42 digs, while Mitchum contributed 23 digs, six aces and six kills.
For the Bears, now 12-8 overall and 3-3 in the SVL, Laura Rivera led the attack with nine kills and Maicey Hoebel added six more.
Setters Magali Jauregui and Jamie Figueroa handed out 15 and 14 assists respectively. Defensively, Macey Myers made 20 digs, Gabby Sandoval ended the match with 18, Jocelyn Ramos had an additional 11, and Jauregui pitched in with 10.
Colusa (18-8, 5-1), who now sits in a three-way tie atop the SVL standings, hosted Durham on Sept. 26, traveled to Redding to take on division rival U-Prep the following evening, then rounded out the week at home against Winters on Sept. 28.
Pierce had three road matches this week starting in Live Oak on Tuesday, followed by a non-league contest in Gridley on Wednesday and ending in Paradise on Thursday.