Women's Volleyball earns second conference win against LA City College

The El Camino women’s volleyball team snapped their three-game losing streak with a dominant home win over the Los Angeles City College Cubs on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

The Warriors came out early with a winner’s energy, completing their entire pre-game routine with a heightened surge of energy and passion.

The liveliness of the El Camino team carried over to the first set, where the Warriors took a commanding 10-3 lead over the Cubs to start the match.

Middle blocker Morgan Knight led the team in kills with three in the first set, followed by middle blocker Aireon Scott who had two of her career-high 14 total kills on the night.

Yasmin Watanabe (3) and Aireon Scott (11) were blocking hard not to let their opponents score. Oct 4 in the El Camino College. (Misaki Asaba | The Union) — Yasmin Watanabe (3) and Aireon Scott (11) work together to block the ball and keep the Los Angeles City College Cubs from scoring during the Oct. 4 home game. (Misaki Asaba | The Union)

Setting up those kills was Bridget Dorr, who had eight of her 31 total assists of the match in the first set.

“[Bridget] brings the energy and doesn’t get down when [the team] is losing,” Scott said. “She plays her part and we always need someone who’s reliable, and of course she’s reliable.”

The Warriors won the first set 25-7, giving them all the momentum and confidence heading into the second set.

El Camino women's volleyball team member Yasmin Watanabe (3) gets in a clean hit during the Wednesday, Oct. 4 home game against the Los Angeles City College Cubs. October 4. (Misaki Asaba | The Union) — El Camino women’s volleyball team member Yasmin Watanabe (3) gets in a clean hit during the Wednesday, Oct. 4 home game against the Los Angeles City College Cubs. October 4. (Misaki Asaba | The Union)

However, the momentum flipped when the Cubs jumped ahead to an early 4-0 lead.

Coach Liz Hazell highlighted the inconsistency in the second set.

“We got away from it a little in set two, but we’re trying to stay consistent, so be consistent and execute,” Hazel said. “Volleyball is a big game of errors, so we’re really just trying to limit our errors.”

A series of three kills from Scott ultimately helped the team even the score 7-7, and take a larger lead as the second set continued.

Scott got some help from outside hitter Sophia Ortiz, who ended the second set with seven kills off of 12 attacks.

Ortiz said the biggest factor in her performance was “just being consistent” with her hitting and getting the balls in play.

After starting off the set with sloppy defense and four straight errors, the Warriors were able to settle down and steal the set away from the Cubs with a 25-16 score.

The third set was dominant from the Warriors, as they took a 6-0 lead over the Cubs.

El Camino College Women's Volleyball team Boosts Morale with Fixed Calls. October 4. (Misaki Asaba | The Union) — El Camino College Women’s Volleyball team celebrate and boost each other up after winning a set during the Oct. 4. match against the Los Angeles City College Cubs. (Misaki Asaba | The Union)

According to Hazell, the preparation going into the match is what set the teams apart in the third set.

“Really harping on [them] to be expecting the ball all the time,” Hazell said. “The first contact could come over, the second contact could come over, and if the other team isn’t playing the speed we want to play, we don’t want to go down to that speed, we want to stay at ours.”

The Warriors kept their speed and beat the Cubs in the third set by a score of 25-3.

When the game was over, the girls high-fived each other over the fence. They praised each other for a good fight in the match. Oct 4. (Misaki Asaba | The Union) — The El Camino College women’s volleyball team high-five their Oct. 4 opponents, the Los Angeles City College Cubs, following the Wednesday match. Warriors would emerge victorious over the Cubs. (Misaki Asaba | The Union)

The Warriors are set to face off against Rio Hondo College next, where they hope to win their first back-to-back match of the season.

“[Rio Hondo] is always super scrappy, so they dig balls all over the place and bring a ton of energy and go really hard all the time, so we need to be able to match that and limit our error,” Hazell said. “They’re going to be a tough one for us, but I think if we play up to our potential we can give them a tough match and take it.”