State #24 Lancers Valiant In 4-Set Loss To #3/SoCal Leader Long Beach

After winning the first set in doubling up the score on SoCal's #1 team and state #3 Long Beach City College, the state #24 Pasadena City College women's volleyball team went spike-for-spike with an athletic, veteran Vikings squad and ended up on the short of a 4-set marathon, 12-25, 26-24, 29-27, 25-14, at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

The closeness of the match showed in points scored, 92-90 in favor of LBCC, while PCC twice battled back from double game point at 24-22 to extend the second and third sets. 

The match was delayed for 13 minutes in the opening when the lights at center court went dark, but after they charged back on, a number of long rallies extended the time length of the match even more during frenetic second and third sets. 

In the opening set, PCC (5-9 record) played its best single game of the season, hitting .414 and outscoring the Vikings in attack kills, 15-3. A Shaylee Ungos kill capped the set as undefeated LBCC (10-0) suffered its worst set loss of the year.

The second set featured 11 ties with the Lancers leading 21-20 on a Kamea Vongfak ace. Pasadena saved two set points on kills by Ungos and Biko Hollie to make it 24-24, but the Vikings closed out the 2-point win as PCC lost sideout on a service error and the duo of Jubilee Allen and Tainea Allen scored a block kill. 

In the third set, the Lancers held steady in taking 5-1 and then 21-17 leads. LBCC went on a 7-1 run to force set point again up 24-22, but PCC responded on two Hollie kills to take a 25-24 advantage. PCC three times had a chance to win in the extra points, but after Brianna Galvan pounded a kill to go ahead, 27-26, the Vikings came back when Tainea Allen (the Vikings have two other Allens) rifled a kill and served an ace. The long set and a LBCC set #3 win came on a Lancers' attack error. 

In the fourth set, Long Beach wore down the Lancers, leads of 6-2 and 10-5. PCC got as close as 12-10, but the Vikings rolled to the 11-point victory. 

"It was the best we've played recently, proud of our effort and how battled those first three sets," said PCC head coach Mike Terrill. "We couldn't get across the finish line in sets 2 and 3 and our tank was empty in the final set. We've made strides in the last couple of weeks, but still have to get better. Our conference is winnable, so I'm excited to see what we do and how we respond to this adversity." 

Hollie scored 17 kills and made 13 digs to pace the Lancers while Ungos was solid on 11 kills. Chayse Hoon added 11 kills, Galvan had four kills, three aces, and three blocks, and Vongfak dished out 36 assists, served five aces, and made two blocks. Libero Emily Licon defended well, especially in the first three sets and finished with 17 digs. 

LBCC State Player of the Week Enaya Vaielua was as usual a force with seven kills, 15 set assists, 14 digs, three aces and three blocks. Both Tainea Allen and Ryannah Gagau each scored 13 kills. 

While PCC scored more attack kills overall, 45-41, Long Beach won the dig war, 69-57, outserved Pasadena, 12-8 in aces, and took advantage of 14 service errors by the home squad. 

Shaylee Ungos hits through a block

On Sept. 18, the Lancers lost in four sets at #16 Santa Barbara City College, 22-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-20, in yet another closely played match. Outscored just 100-93, PCC nearly was in the position of taking a 2-0 sets lead, but couldn't finish a 24-21 lead in the second set, losing in extras. 

The Lancers are 2-9 this season in sets that extended into extra points and a rough 6-13 in sets that were decided by just two points. PCC had a streak of scoring 20 or more points in 11 straight sets before the fourth game v. LBCC. In that stretch, the team averaged 24.3 points and yet only won five of the 11 and was 1-5 in sets decided by two points. 

PCC's schedule starts to get lighter as it travels to face LA Harbor on Friday, Sept. 27 in a 6 p.m. match. 

Biko Hollie with the dig as Emily Licon backs her up (all PCC action shots by Richard Quinton)