2019 Pasadena City College Women's Volleyball News
Lancers women's volleyball sophomore libero Grace Crawford, Pasadena City College's all-time digs leader for a career and one season, will continue her education/playing career at NAIA University of Saint Katherine in San Marcos.
The Pasadena City College women's volleyball team can look back on the 2019 season as one where the program made a big leap into the State Top 25. Glimpses of that level of play were seen Tuesday in the opening set of the #12 seed Lancers SoCal Regional Playoff Round 1 match at #5 Moorpark.
Three Pasadena City College players were selected to the All-South Coast Conference Women's Volleyball Team as the Lancers have earned the No. 12 seed for the Southern California Regional Playoffs. PCC was ranked #22 in the final regular season CCCWVCA State Top 25 Rankings.
The state #21-ranked Pasadena City College women's volleyball team closed out the 2019 regular season on a down note in losing to unranked Rio Hondo, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18, in the third place final of the South Coast Conference Championship Tournament held Tuesday at Long Beach City College.
The Pasadena City College women's volleyball team used Sophomore Night as a return to some of the efficient play it had turned in from earlier this season. The state #23 Lancers swept Cerritos, 25-20, 25-11, 25-17, Wednesday at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.
In 30 previous meetings between the Pasadena City College and Los Angeles Harbor women's volleyball teams, the result was always the same--a Lancers victory. On Wednesday night at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium, the 20-year losing drought ended for the unranked Seahawks as they upset state #18 PCC in five sets, 25-22, 26-24, 19-25, 17-25, 15-9.
As much as women's volleyball is a team sport, an individual's impact can often make the difference between winning and losing. On Wednesday night, state #17 Pasadena City College found itself in a fierce battle with unranked Mt. San Antonio. Every time the visiting Mounties grabbed the momentum, there was PCC outside hitter Nalani Young making a play to keep the Lancers in control.
Round 1 of the South Coast Conference schedule is complete as the Pasadena City College women's volleyball team made quick work of sweeping East Los Angeles, 25-14, 25-11, 25-21, Wednesday evening at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. The state's #17-ranked Lancers won in a little more than an hour to improve to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in conference.
The momentum in Wednesday's State Top 25 matchup seemed to switch in an instant and by the time it was over the #11-ranked Pasadena City College women's volleyball team was left pondering the aftermath. The Lancers won the opening set, held a 7-4 lead in set 2 and then unraveled as #20-ranked Long Beach City upended them in four, 23-25, 25-15, 25-12, 25-15 at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.
The Pasadena City College women's volleyball team completed its first week of South Coast Conference play with two victories, extending their current winning streak to five matches over host Mt. San Antonio, 25-19, 17-25, 25-10, 25-19, Friday night.
The state #11-ranked Pasadena City College women's volleyball team looked every bit like an upper-level squad in sweeping Rio Hondo, 25-12, 25-23, 25-20, Wednesday night in the Lancers' South Coast Conference opener. Three different players reached double digits in kills as sophomore setter Nikki Hernandez dished out 33 assists.
Playing on its refurbished floor at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium for the first time in 11 matches this season, the state #9-ranked Pasadena City College women's volleyball team twice ran into downturns Wednesday. The first came in a first set, 5-point defeat. Then after rolling to consecutive set wins, the Lancers fell behind 20-13 in the fourth set.
A little adversity is a good thing in sports. The state No. 9-ranked Pasadena City College women's volleyball team managed to fight off the effects of a 3-set loss at now #12-rated Moorpark on Sept. 11 and rolled to a pair of victories Sept. 13 at the PCC Quad #2 hosted off-campus at Citrus College.
It's been a long time coming, but the 2019 Pasadena City College women's volleyball team is making serious noise at the state level. For the first time in six years, the Lancers reached the CCCWVCA State Top 25 Rankings and made the top 10 no less as the state's No. 9-ranked squad in the ratings released on Monday night.
The unpredictability of fifth sets can benefit some teams while become a hazard for others. For the Pasadena City College women's volleyball team and head coach Mike Terrill, they are accustomed to the challenge. PCC moved to 11-6 in career 5-set affairs under Terrill, rallying in key moments to defeat host Ventura, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24, 23-25, 15-10 Wednesday night.
Off to the program's best start to a season in seven years, the Pasadena City College women's volleyball team ran its perfect record to 4-0 on Friday with two victories at the PCC Quad #1 on Aug. 30, an event hosted by the Lancers but played at Santa Monica College due to delays in the final refurbishing of the Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium floor.
