Women’s Volleyball team loses in sweeping performance by Mt. San Antonio

By Kae Takazawa • September 21, 2023

Outside Hitter Ryan D’Angelo tips the ball over the Mt. Antonio blockers in a women’s volleyball game at the South Gym during the Wednesday, Sept. 20 game at El Camino College. (Ira Mendoza | The Union)

After the team won their first game last Friday, El Camino College Women’s Volleyball team got another loss when they played against Mt. San Antonio College Mounties on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Unlike the previous match where the Warriors swept all sets, El Camino struggled against the Mounties losing three sets in a row, 0-3 (17-25, 15-25, 13-25), which handed Mt. SAC the victory.

Outside hitter Sophia Ortiz contributed to earning points, with her sharp spikes in the first set despite the loss.

“Playing together towards the end as a team was the favorite part of the game today, but at the same time, we were not being as a team and that was the most challenging part,” Ortiz said.

Outside Hitter and Opposite Sophia Ortiz meets two Mt. San Antonio blockers with a spike during the Sept. 20 women's volleyball game at the South Gym. Warriors would end up losing the game. (Ira Mendoza | The Union) — Outside Hitter and Opposite Sophia Ortiz meets two Mt. San Antonio blockers with a spike during the Sept. 20 women’s volleyball game at the South Gym. Warriors would end up losing the game. (Ira Mendoza | The Union)

Inside the El Camino Gymnasium, the shouts and screams were overwhelming at times, with spectators cheering on both teams.

While the Warriors were trying to bounce back and bring the match to a 10-10 score, the team lost their first set 17-25 after receiving repeated attacks in the team’s open spots.

The score gap between the opponents would only widen as the match went on.

The second set started off with a loss of three points, then the Mounties made a series of mistakes, and middle blocker Aireon Scott’s spike led to a turnaround, making the score 8-7.

Middle Blocker Aireon Scott goes face to face with a Mt. San Antonio blocker during the Sept. 20 women's volleyball game at the South Gym at El Camino College. (Ira Mendoza | The Union) — Middle Blocker Aireon Scott goes face to face with a Mt. San Antonio blocker during the Sept. 20 women’s volleyball game at the South Gym at El Camino College. (Ira Mendoza | The Union)

Blocker Scott utilized her height well in the game, continuously earning point after point giving the Warriors some momentum.

The rallies were not enough to hold on and as a result of the subsequent points lost, the second set ended up with a score of 15-25.

“Continuing to push the team’s energy and being consistent are the big parts and these are what I think we need to work on,” Scott said.

Outside Hitter and Opposite Payton Garrison spikes a ball towards two Mt. San Antonio blockers during the Sept. 20 women's volleyball game at the South Gym. (Ira Mendoza | The Union) — Outside Hitter and Opposite Payton Garrison spikes a ball towards two Mt. San Antonio blockers during the Sept. 20 women’s volleyball game at the South Gym. (Ira Mendoza | The Union)

As the third set started, captain of the volleyball team, Bridget Dorr, focused on motivating the team to get back into the game with her cheers.

“It was challenging to have a good energy and good attitude through the entire game,” Dorr said. “Cheering for my teammates and trying to get them motivated helped me motivate myself.”

Although the point gap between the teams grew further in the early stages of this set, the Warriors showed their consistency by trying as many attacks as possible.

While the Warriors did well in blocking the opponents’ attacks, they struggled to kill shots and failed to earn points.

The sound of the buzzer in the gymnasium signaled the end of the match with the Warriors losing in all three sets.

The El Camino team praise each other after a play in a women's volleyball game at the South Gym on Wednesday, Sept. 20. (Ira Mendoza | The Union) — The El Camino team praise each other after a play in a women’s volleyball game at the South Gym on Wednesday, Sept. 20. (Ira Mendoza | The Union)

Warriors head coach Liz Hazell reflected on the match and shared the team’s goals for the rest of the season.

“We are trying to be more consistent in our play and we need more energy,” Hazell said. “We need to do a better job of identifying what was happening over the sets and getting comfortable.”