The Salt Lake Community College volleyball team lost to the Western Wyoming Community College (WWCC) Mustangs in 4 sets (21 -25, 25 – 18, 19 – 25, 20 – 25) on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013 at the Lifetime Activities Center (LAC) on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
The no. 6 Bruins who were riding a 5 game winning streak ran into a no.5 ranked Mustang team that seemed to have solved the problem of the outside hitters. With SLCC seemingly unable to change their game plan, the Mustangs stampeded through the LAC.
Western Wyoming is a non-conference team, so the Bruins remain undefeated in conference play.
Up next, the Bruins will face no. 16 Snow College on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the LAC for their “Dig Pink” game. Money raised at the game will go toward cancer awareness and the fight against breast cancer. Fans should wear pink and be ready to give at the game.
Set One
As the Mustangs ran out to a 5 point lead, Baylie Henrie tried to keep her team in the set. Her on court leadership made a difference in the demeanor of the team as the set wore on. Sequoia Lofton, Carol Grasso and Bailee Kendall were stifled on offense as the Mustangs seemed to have keyed on SLCC’s outside hitting.
Normally, that would be a good thing because Kendall would use her power to wear down the defense. However, this evening, Kendall looked like her timing and power were just a bit off. She wasn’t delivering the type of kills that we normally see from her.
The Mustangs had no real answers for Janessa Koelliker or Jillian Campbell, especially when they hit the ball down the middle of the court. Grasso and Kendall were able to take advantage of the soft middle for the Mustangs, and it seemed like that was available all evening.
At 10 – 17, SLCC was able to go on a mini run, which started with the Mustangs hitting the ball out of bounds and included a Kendall dunk and Campbell kill into the WWCC. After a score by the mustangs, Both Kendall and Grasso had kills, and a WWCC error made it 16 – 18.
WWCC would pull away again, but SLCC would close the gap at 21 -23 after a Lofton kill and good defense from Kendall.
The Mustang’s Evelina Abdurakhmanova put the ball down with authority into a space where there was no SLCC player, and WWCC scored the next point to take the set.
Set Two
After trading long serves, Campbell had a dink kill, which was erased the next play when miscommunication by the Bruins allowed the ball to drop. The score was tied at 2 and the teams exchanged points with neither being able to pull away until a Koelliker kill made it 7 – 6.
Koelliker and Lofton combined on a defensive play for a point, and Grasso killed the ball into the dead space that WWCC had failed to fill on the court. The Mustangs returned the favor on the next play, but then served it into the net to make the score 10 – 7.
Koelliker confused the defense so much on the next play that they had a four hit error and took a timeout with the score 11 – 7.
Grasso served the ball into the net after the timeout, but Kendall’s second attempt at a kill on the next play resulted in an SLCC point with the score at 12 – 8.
Campbell and Kendall combined for a defensive point and a Campbell kill made the score 14 – 8. Koelliker served the ball into the net ending the SLCC run. WWCC returned the favor with a long serve to make the score 15 – 9.
Lofton hit the ball wide on the next play, but a Kendall kill gave SLCC the ball back and a point. The score was 16 – 10. SLCC stepped up the defense on the next play. Henrie stuffed a Mustang player, but it was for naught as the Mustangs were able to recover and take the point.
Campbell spiked the ball through the defense to make the score 17 – 11. WWCC score the next point.
A Koelliker kill followed by Henrie saving possession for the Bruins on the next possession, which resulted in another Koelliker kill gave SLCC a lead of 19 – 12. A Grasso kill added to the SLCC tally.
Koelliker’s quick hands couldn’t save the next point for SLCC and the Mustangs pulled to within 7. SLCC made several spectacular plays during the next rally, which Grasso capped with an exclamation point. The Mustang coach stalled play at this point seeking clarification on the play.
WWCC and SLCC traded errors and Campbell proved that the only people that could stop her this evening were herself and her coach as the score was 22 – 16. Lofton had a dink, which Abdurakhmanova countered with a kill of her own.
Indigo Allen and Grasso combined on a beautiful play that WWCC was able to counter for the point to make the score 23 – 18. Grasso then had a pretty placement point that found the hole in the defense. She also finished the set with a kill after Campbell and Henrie kept the ball alive.
In a set that looked closer than it was and in which Grasso and Kendall seemed to have figured the defense out, SLCC tied it up at one set a piece with a score of 25 – 18.
Set Three
SLCC went up by 3 early in the set, but couldn’t take advantage and found the score tied at 8. The teams traded scores, but SLCC couldn’t get ahead. A score by Grasso down the center tied the set at 14. Kendall’s serve went long, and a great rally by the two teams was ended on a call by the referee in the Mustangs favor making the score 14 – 16.
WWCC scored the next five points as SLCC couldn’t keep the ball in play. A Hannah Wade spike was echoed in the next play by WWCC, and SLCC substituted more players in than normal, which appeared to result in a play that was neither pretty nor planned. WWCC scored the next point to make it 15 – 24.
SLCC put up a fight as Grasso had a kill, Keolliker and Lofton combined for a great defensive play, Allen’s defense lead to another score from Grasso, and Koelliker had a kill.
The valiant comeback effort highlighted by SLCC’s, and more specifically Allen’s, defensive play was ended with some defense from the visiting team who won the set. The score was 19 – 25.
Set Four
The score was tied at 7 when the Mustangs found the hole in SLCC’s defense twice, and a Grasso kill attempt failed. Koelliker had a kill for the next point when the hustle by WWCC couldn’t catch up t the ball. The score was 8 – 9, and SLCC wouldn’t get any closer this evening.
The Bruins took a timeout with the score 15 – 21, and was able to parlay that into a 4 point run with kills from Grasso sandwiching two aces from Henrie. At 19 – 21, the Mustangs took a timeout of their own that resulted in a play for a point.
After a nice rally, a Grasso dink made the score 20 – 22, but Grasso’s serve long, and an SLCC error sealed the Bruins’ fate. The set ended at 20 – 25 with the Mustangs the victors.
