#20 Long Beach Upsets #11 Women's Volleyball

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.

Erykah Wilson blocks an attempt with teammate Paulina Lopez helping out during Wednesday's Lancers loss v. Long Beach, photo by Michael Watkins.
Erykah Wilson blocks an attempt with teammate Paulina Lopez helping out during Wednesday's Lancers loss v. Long Beach, photo by Michael Watkins.
October 3, 2019
Box Score

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.

From the point of the early second-set lead, the Lancers (11-3, 2-1 in South Coast Conference play) were outscored 71-35. Long Beach hitters Brooke Earkman and Anisa Lopez combined for 39 kills as Vikings' setter Jillian Petnicki was flawless for most of the match, dishing out 44 assists and serving four aces. 

Pasadena's 5-match win streak was stopped while red-hot LBCC (8-5, 3-0 in SCC) extended its win string to five. The Vikings are directed by head coach Misty May-Treanor, a 3-time gold medalist in beach volleyball and a new inductee into the U.S. Olympic & Paraolympic Hall of Fame. 

PCC struggled defensively and made 27 unforced errors between attacks, ballhandling, and serves. Erykah Wilson played well at opposite and scored a PCC high of 12 kills (.258) while Nalani Young added 11 kills (hit .303, one error in 33 attempts) and 11 digs. Another player who stood out early was starting setter Madison Blohm, who recorded a season-high 23 digs and added a pair of dump kills. 

"Our pin hitters played well, but after that we just didn't follow our game plan over the last three sets," said PCC head coach Mike Terrill. "It just seemed like we did a lot more watching their attack than playing. Give Long Beach credit for making its own adjustments after the first set. They hit better than .400 over those last three sets."

The Lancers totaled just one block kill the entire match after averaging 1.5 per set coming into the contest. LBCC's Earkman had a rare 20-20 performance as she slammed 20 kills and made a match-high 24 digs. 

On Friday, Oct. 4, PCC travels to face LA Harbor College in a 6 p.m. conference match.