Women’s volleyball will host first round of playoffs after sweep over Cerritos
Warriors’ freshman middle blocker Victoria Curtice tips the ball over the Falcons’ Kayley Stephens for a kill in the third set during the home game on Wednesday, Nov. 18. El Camino’s women’s volleyball lock in their undefeated title heading into playoffs after defeating Cerritos College in the last game of the season. Photo credit: Jo Rankin
It was 20-all in the third set when the women’s volleyball team, as usual, was passing at a lower level than the earlier sets.
Team morale was ceiling-high for the visiting Falcons, but the offense from the home-court Warriors wasn’t letting up.
Sophomore outside hitters Nickeisha Williams and Kezia Boyer put down back-to-back kills to open up a 22-20 lead for the Warriors in the third set.
Then after a tough fight to retake the lead, freshman middle blocker/opposite hitter Taylor Brydon did what she does best and killed the attack to end the hopes of a fourth-set push for the Falcons.
The play helped El Camino’s women’s volleyball team (24-2 overall and 14-0 in the South Coast Conference) take care of the Cerritos College Falcons (16-11 overall, 9-5 in the SCC) in straight sets (25-11, 25-11, 26-24) at home on Wednesday.
The Warriors are undefeated in the SCC for the second-straight season and have clinched home-court in the first round of playoffs (opponent to be determined).
“Our serve-receive was not as great in the third set,” EC head coach Le Valley Pattison said. “The passing broke down and (Cerritos) started picking on (Boyer).”
Although there were problems within the game, the team still pulled out the broom for the sweep and Brydon said that the team did a good job finishing the set.
“We have to stay disciplined,” she said. “But we did a good job putting balls away, we just need to pick up on the defense.”
Williams led all players with 13 kills, followed by Boyer and Brydon’s eight each and sophomore middle blocker Jewel Yandall’s seven.
The serving has been “very good” in the last few games,l Pattison said, and the Warriors have nine players in the top 50 for conference service aces.
Yandall said the visiting Falcons played very differently compared to the first meeting of the season when the Warriors won in straight sets (25-20, 28-26, 25-20) as well.
“They kind of just rolled over and died before we even started,” she said. “It wasn’t like that before (when they played better).”
Defensive leader, co-captain of the team and sophomore libero Brooke Russell had 15 digs on the night – double that of any other player on the court. Cerritos’ Nicole Spigner and EC freshman setter Nina Wyer had seven each.
The women’s volleyball team will host the first round of playoffs on Tuesday in the South Gym at 6 p.m., Pattison said.
