The College of Sequoias women’s volleyball team kicked off the conference season opener with a big win over the Porterville Pirates, winning three of the five sets.
The first game got off to a rocky start against the Pirates. The nerves got the best of the Giants. The Pirates played defensively and had long rallies which set the Giants back in the first set. The Pirates were playing off the Giants’ mistakes and taking full advantage of every open opportunity the Giants were giving them. The Giants lost the first set by four, with a final score of 25-21.
In the second set, the Giants made it a close game. After taking both timeouts, the Giants were starting to play as one, bringing the score close. With defensive plays by Tyler Lopez, Vianka Martinez, and Olivia Samaniego, Giants took their first lead of the night. Although the girls were playing as one and putting up great plays, the Pirates came back and took the second set, 26-24.
With the Giants coming together in the second set, they started their third set just as strong. Samaniego found every open spot on the court to make the ball fall right in front of the Pirates. Daniela Gonzalez had multiple kills to keep advancing the Giants. The girls were putting up more kills and used the Pirates mistakes to their benefit. The Giants took the third set, 25-13.
The Giants came into the fourth set aggressive from winning their first set of the game. The girls were putting up long rallies and kept a lead over the Pirates. The Pirates were showing defeat and were not playing as aggressive as they had been in the last three sets. But they were able to keep the set close. Not happy with the calls being made by the ref, Giants player Martinez ended the set with a kill, ending the fourth set with a final score of 25-23.
The final set of the night was intense. Both teams fought for the win. Going back and forth on game point, arguing whether the ball landed in or out, the girls never backed down. The Giants needed one more point to end the night and lucky enough, Martinez secured the game with the winning kill, 21-19. For all upcoming women’s volleyball games and other sporting events at COS, go to http://cosgiants.com/landing/index
By: Mikaela Romero
