The No. 15 Salt Lake Community College volleyball team extended their winning streak to five matches after defeating the Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters in three sets last night.
The game started fast for the Bruins, winning the first set 25-17. Hellen Lacava lead the Bruins with six points in the opening frame against the Gila Monsters. Sophomore Lauryn Ritchie had effusive praise for her teammate.
“She was in the zone. When one of your teammates is going like that, it ups the performance of everyone around them,” says Ritchie, who had a .778 hitting percentage throughout the match.
The second set went just as well for the Bruins as they came out and took control with a 13-8 lead. The Bruins finished winning the second set 25-15. Even though the Bruins were up 2-0, there was no resting on laurels going into the locker room.
“You can’t have the mindset that you’re up in that situation,” says sophomore libero Callie Whitney. “We went into the locker room and said, ‘Okay guys, it’s 0-0. Don’t let up, don’t give up, don’t let it get to our heads, finish the job.’”
Finishing the job would be a challenge for the Bruins though. Eastern Arizona would not die easy, keeping the third set competitive until the second half when the Bruins went on a run, grabbing a 16-9 lead on the Gila Monsters.
“Runs like that are the name of this game,” says Whitney. “You can’t win games, or come back in games, or finish games without those kind of decisive runs.”
The Bruins finished with a decisive run and won the third set 25-13, taking home their fifth victory of the year and first on home court, which is sure to boost their national ranking.
“We passed really well tonight, had a lot of good movement, flowed well and were able to get results by doing that,” says head coach, Sue Dulaney.
Despite the overall strong performance by the Bruins, Dulaney also saw room for improvement.
“We need to serve better,” says Dulaney.
Tightening up each member of the team’s skills is a point echoed by Ritchie.
“I need to make sure I keep my serves inside the court I don’t want them going out of it,” says Ritchie.
Simple errors, simple fixes, and the Bruins are rolling into their next match with the New Mexico Military Institute this Friday at noon in Bruin Arena.
