How Sweet It Is: Women's Volleyball Completes 18-0 Run To SCC Championship

The Pasadena City College women's volleyball team thought it had done more than enough to win a title. The state #3-ranked Lancers won 16 straight conference matches, beating every team in the 9-team South Coast Conference twice. But this year's rules of the game meant they had to also win two more matches on the final day of the SCC Tournament on Saturday.

After sweeping Cerritos in the semifinals in the later morning, PCC's long day's journey into night became yet another epic encounter with rival and #12-ranked Mt. San Antonio College. Mt. SAC took set leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but Pasadena rallied to win the fourth and rode the wave to a 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12 victory. The longest undefeated conference season in state history at 18-0 finally paid off in a SCC championship.

Winners of 20 in a row overall, Pasadena improved to 23-1 as Lancers head coach Mike Terrill won his third conference title in five seasons directing the program, but his first outright South Coast crown (nine teams this year) after two 5-team, North Division titles in 2017 and 2018. It was the first full conference title since 2012 (co champs with El Camino) and just the third of its kind in the program's history (2009 the other). 

After scoring nine kills in hitting .368 v. Cerritos, Lancers opposite/middle blocker Camila Sanchez-Tellez picked the right day to have her best performance of the season as she ripped a team-season high 21 kills, hitting .321 in the championship match. She earned SCC Tournament MVP honors.

With her team trailing 2-1 in sets, Sanchez-Tellez was a force in the fourth game with six kills. Leading 22-21, setter Nayeli SalasOrtiz made one of the match's biggest plays as her surprising 2-hand attack from set position toward the backline dropped in for a kill to end a long rally and prevent a Mt. SAC tie. Middle blocker Danae Johnson landed a kill on set point to send the title match to a winner-to-take-all set to 15. 

In the fifth, PCC trailed 3-1, led 8-5, then was tied at 8-8. At that point, Bia Silva's third kill of the set gave PCC its final lead at 9-8. Mt. SAC's Michelle Walters cut the advantage to 13-12, but a service error by the Mounties was followed by Sanchez-Tellez taking a set from Annie Lay and blasting an attack down the right side line for match point as the Lancers team swarmed her in celebration of the championship victory. 

"On June 21st this year, we began the journey of preparing ourselves for the season," Terrill said. "It was obvious from that first day of training we have a special group of young women. Their chemistry was noticeable right away and the talent level was best we've had in the gym in my time at PCC. We had a lot of funso far this season, and I'm personally so grateful to see these players achieve one of the goals they set for themselves which was to win a conference title. And on top of that to do it in an undefeated fashion is really impressive. These young women sacrificed so much time and gave so much to their team and teammates, so it made it special to see them reap the rewards."

The coach also talked about the help he received in guiding the players from his assistant coaching staff. "I'm extremely fortunate to have two wonderful assistant coaches in Michael Ledford and Sahara Martinez. These two always bring their best every day to drive our program in the direction it needs to go."

While PCC's blocking was not strong v. the Mounties (just three block kills) and the team's usual strong serve suffered with 16 service errors, it was the Lancers attack offense that stood out, led by Sanchez-Tellez. She was one of four different Lancers to reach double digits in kills with Sabiya Esquivel scoring 13, middle blocker Monet Latunde (hit .364) and Silva each recording 11 kills. Nalani Young added seven kills, 17 digs, six set assists, and a team-best four aces.

Seven different Lancers set points in the match, including 25 by SalasOrtiz (and nine digs) and 23 by Lay. Libero Kei'ana Pascua made 29 digs and served three aces.

In the Cerritos win, Silva, a setter/opposite, totaled seven kills, 14 assists, eight digs and two aces, Latunde scored eight kills in 15 attempts (hit .467), middle blocker Paulina Lopez had six kills in just eight attacks (.750), SalasOrtiz recorded team-highs with 16 assists, nine digs and two aces, and Esquivel landed eight kills (.353). 

Ironically, former PCC head coach Tammy Silva, the architect of the first two SCC titles in program history in 2009 and 2012, was in attendance in her current role as an assistant athletic director for opponent Mt. SAC and the conference's A.D. representative for the sport. Silva coached the longest win streak in PCC history with 22 in 2009, but Terrill matched her for the most victories ever in the program with now 23. 

The Lancers will find out next week what seed they will earn for the upcoming Southern California Regional Playoffs. While they are ranked #1 in SoCal, it will be final RPI ratings that will determine where exactly PCC is seeded. It is likely the Lancers will host a playoff match on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. A second round of the regionals will take place Nov. 27, also possibly at PCC. 

Pasadena is trying to make it to the CCCAA State Championship Tournament for the first time since 1995. 

The Lancers are #1 in the South Coast Conference in 2021