Vaqueros cruise past Cuesta 3-0

SBCC rode solid passing and ball control to a 3-0 women’s volleyball sweep of Cuesta on Wednesday night in the Sports Pavilion. The scores were 25-18, 25-17, 25-15.

It was the fifth straight win for the 10^th-ranked Vaqueros (12-7, 6-1), who remained one game behind No. 8 L.A. Pierce in the battle for the WSC North title. SBCC travels to Woodland Hills to take on Pierce on Friday at 7 p.m.

The third-place Cougars fell to 11-7 and 4-3.

SBCC is 38-4 in WSC matches over the last four-plus years.

Madison Waddell had 10 kills and hit .529 while Jasmine Ward added nine kills with a .412 hitting percentage. Eryn Young led in digs with eight and had three of her team’s nine aces. Setter Madelon Leiphardt had 30 assists and five digs.

“The key tonight was the passing of Jenna Anderson,” said coach Ed Gover. “She had 13 three-level passes, which means we were in system on 13 of her passes. They went after her and she responded really well with a great passing percentage.

“We have a big match coming up on Friday and we had to stay focused on this match because Cuesta just had a big win over Moorpark. Our demeanor was businesslike and calm and nothing rattled us.”

The Vaqueros broke open a 13-13 first set with an 8-2 run, capped by a Ward kill that made it 21-15. They jumped to leads of 8-2 and 12-5 in the second set. Cuesta got within four at 15-11 before the home team used a 5-0 run, capped by a Kristy Kearney kill in the middle, to make it 20-11.

The Vaqueros led 11-9 in the third set when they put together an 11-2 burst to build a commanding 22-11 lead. Kearney had three kills and a block during that run and Rachel Bower added back-to-back kills and a block.

“Our passing changed this match and our defense was better than its been in the past,” said Kearney, a 5-11 freshman middle blocker from Livermore. “Our defense was so good, it allowed us to run all kinds of plays.

“Our goal is to play as well as we can against Pierce. That’s our biggest match of the season. We just have to go out there and dominate.”

Waddell sparks Vaqueros to fourth straight win

Madison Waddell had 15 kills and Jenna Anderson added eight on Friday night as No. 12 SBCC overcame a cold start to sweep L.A. Mission 25-23, 25-12, 25-18 in a WSC women’s volleyball match in Sylmar.

“The gym was ice cold and so was our hitting at the start,” said coach Ed Gover. “We fell behind 6-0, then finally warmed up and tied it at 18.”

The Vaqueros (11-7, 5-1) went on to win the first set and dominated the next two sets en route to their fourth straight win. Mission fell to 9-7 and 2-4.

Jasmine Ward had six kills and setter Maddie Leiphardt led in digs with nine. Jane Petricka contributed three aces.

SBCC hosts Cuesta on Wednesday at 6 p.m. It will be another “Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat” food-drive night, sponsored by the Vaquero student-athletes.

Anyone who makes two or more food donations (canned food, bags of rice, pasta or cereal, jars of peanut butter) will receive free admission.

Waddell has 16 kills in third straight win

Madison Waddell recorded 16 kills and five blocks on Wednesday night as No. 12 SBCC topped Ventura 3-1 in a WSC North women’s volleyball match at the Sports Pavilion. The scores were 25-13, 23-25, 25-11, 25-10.

Waddell hit .448 and she was supported by Jasmine Ward (10 kills) and Jenna Anderson (8), who only played the last two sets due to illness.

The second-place Vaqueros (10-7, 4-1) won their third straight match while Ventura fell to 0-6 and 1-15.

“We went back to our normal lineup in the last two sets,” said coach Ed Gover. “Jenna has been under the weather for the last two days. We started Rachel (Bower) on the right side, which isn’t her natural position.

“We handled it fairly well in the first game but in the second game, our passing broke down and we had a few missed serves. At 23-all, we made a mental error that turned it their way. We were pretty smooth after that.”

It was a match of runs as the Vaqueros went on a 10-1 burst to take a 22-11 lead in the opener and Ventura erased a 21-15 defict by finishing the second set on a 10-2 spurt. SBCC broke open a tight third set, using an 11-0 streak to take a 23-9 lead on a stuff block by Waddell.

“I always say we need more energy and I’m always trying to get everyone energized,” said Waddell, a 6-foot sophomore from Thousand Oaks. “I was jumping up and down trying to get us going and we finally realized what we needed to do in the last two games.”

Eryn Young had 17 digs and three aces and Taylor Badois added five blocks for the Vaqueros, who used a 12-3 run to build a 16-6 lead in the final set. Young notched back-to-back aces to make it 22-10 and Kristy Kearney ended the match with a well-placed tip for a kill.

The Vaqueros travel to Sylmar to take on L.A. Mission on Friday at 6 p.m.

Vaqueros post sweep at Moorpark

Jenna Anderson had 12 kills and Eryn Young recorded 14 digs and two aces Wednesday night, leading SBCC to its second straight women’s volleyball sweep. The Vaqueros posted a 25-17, 25-18, 25-16 victory at Moorpark.

Santa Barbara (9-7, 3-1 WSC North) improved to 8-2 on the road. Moorpark fell to 6-6 and 1-2.

Jasmine Ward added nine kills and Madison Waddell had seven. Kristy Kearney contributed five kills and five blocks. Madelon Leiphardt had 32 assists.

The Vaqueros built a small lead midway through the first set, then pulled away for the win. They overcame a 5-0 deficit in the second set, thanks to solid outside hitting and the play of Kearney in the middle. The visitors were in control throughout the third set.

After a bye on Friday, SBCC will host Ventura on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Ward guides Vaqueros to first home win

Sophomore Jasmine Ward had 16 kills in the first two sets on Friday night and No. 9 SBCC swept Hancock 25-12, 25-11, 25-8 in a women’s volleyball match at the Sports Pavilion.

Ward had an impressive .545 hitting percentage and didn’t play in the third set on a night when the Vaqueros (8-7, 2-1 WSC North) rested Jenna Anderson and setter Ari Garner. Tomilyn Ryba had eight kills in her first starting assignment and Madison Waddell added seven.

It was the first home win in six tries this year.

“It was nice to see Tomi play and she did an excellent job,” said coach Ed Gover. “We got nice setting from (Madelon) Leiphardt. We have a well-rounded team and we can play a lot of people.”

The Vaqueros had 11 aces, including four by Olenka Tuleja.

SBCC jumped ahead 15-5 in the first set and never looked back. The Vaqueros were leading 11-9 in set No. 2 when Tuleja served eight straight points to make it 20-9. Ward had five kills in that 8-0 burst and nine in the second set alone. Ward sat out the third set.

The second set ended with an ace by Ryba, a kill by Megan Lunger and another ace by Tuleja.

The Vaqueros took a 9-1 lead in the third set, thanks to three aces from Tuleja. The margin grew to 20-6 on a kill by Waddell and an ace from Jane Petricka.

SBCC travels to Moorpark on Wednesday.

Pierce tops No. 9 Vaqueros 3-1

Jenna Anderson had 16 kills and hit .412 on Wednesday night but L.A. Pierce won three tight sets to pull out an 18-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-23 women’s volleyball victory at the Sports Pavilion.

Pierce, the three-time defending state champion, switched from the WSC South to the North this year. The Brahmas won for the fifth straight time to improve to 9-9 and 2-0 in conference. The Vaqueros, ranked No. 9 in the state, had their 11-match WSC winning streak snapped and fell to 7-7 and 1-1.

Madison Waddell added 15 kills and Jasmine Ward had eight. Taylor Badois recorded seven blocks, including two solo, and Anderson had five.

“Pierce played a strong match and our energy was still good,” said SBCC coach Ed Gover. “You’re not going to blow away a team that has that much pride in what they’ve accomplished over the last three years.

“We made some mistakes at key moments down the stretch that really cost us.”

The Vaqueros jumped ahead in the first set, 10-4, 16-11 and 22-14. Waddell secured the 25-18 win with a kill off the block. Pierce overcame a 19-16 deficit to win the second set and held leads of 2-3 points throughout the third set.

SBCC went ahead 9-5 and 17-14 in the fourth stanza before the Brahmas went on a 6-2 run to take the lead at 20-19. Savannah Loutzenhiser gave the visitors a 24-22 lead with an ace serve and then served long.

After an L.A. Pierce timeout, the match ended on a serve in the net by the Vaqueros.

Eryn Young had 22 digs, Ari Garner had 10 and Waddell added nine.

“Pierce passed really well at the end of the match and was able to run the middle,” Gover added. “They won the passing-serving portion. Our players know they have to serve tougher against this team.”

SBCC hosts Hancock on Friday at 6 p.m.

Vaqueros top Cuesta 3-1 in WSC debut

Sophomore Madison Waddell had 15 kills and hit .419 on Friday night, leading SBCC to a 3-1 women’s volleyball win over Cuesta in a WSC North opener at San Luis Obispo. The scores were 26-24, 23-25, 25-14, 25-16.

Jenna Anderson and Jasmine Ward added 14 kills and seven digs each for the Vaqueros (7-6, 1-0), who are ranked No. 7 in the state. Cuesta fell to 6-4 and 0-1.

The Vaqueros have been strong on the road this year with a 7-2 record.

Coach Ed Gover used two setters -- Ari Garner and Madelon Leiphardt -- and they helped the Vaqueros to a .309 hitting percentage. Eryn Young led the defense with 20 digs.

SBCC hosts L.A. Pierce on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Bakersfield edges Vaqueros 3-2

Bakersfield scored five straight points midway through the fifth set on Tuesday night and went on to beat SBCC 3-2 in a women’s volleyball match at the Sports Pavilion.

Editza Urias and Alyssa Mathews led the way for the No. 11-ranked Renegades in the 18-25, 25-15, 25-22, 16-25, 15-11 victory. The No. 7 Vaqueros (6-6) have played eight of their first 12 matches against teams ranked No. 11 in the state or higher.

Jenna Anderson had 16 kills and 12 digs for Santa Barbara. Madison Waddell also had 16 kills and Jasmine Ward added 15 kills and 15 digs. Kristy Kearney had six blocks.

Olenka Tuleja and Eryn Young played great defense with 23 and 21 digs, respectively. Freshman setter Madelon Leiphardt had 40 assists and 13 digs.

Bakersfield (7-6) broke a 7-7 tie in the fifth set with its 5-0 run, capped by three SBCC errors. The Vaqueros got within 14-11 before Mathews ended the match with a kill.

“Carl (Ferreira) is one of the best coaches in the WSC,” said Vaquero coach Ed Gover. “We made adjustments but he got the better of the battle. In Game 5, they just hit a couple of better shots. We played very well tonight.”

The Vaqueros went on a 12-5 run to take control of the first set at 18-13. They fell behind 10-3 in the second set and 13-7 in the third. They rallied to take an 18-16 lead in the third set on a kill by Anderson but the Renegades responded with a 6-1 burst that made it 22-19.

SBCC broke open a tight fourth set with an 8-0 run, capped by a roof block by Anderson and Taylor Badois that boosted the lead to 18-11.

Santa Barbara opens defense of its WSC North crown on Friday in a 6 p.m. match at Cuesta.