The Pirate volleyball team fought hard Wednesday, playing perhaps its best match of the season, falling to state No. 14-ranked Long Beach City College 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-18 at the Athletic Event Center. Taylor Benitez-Fanslow led the Pirates (8-5) with 17 kills, 19 digs and four blocks while Caryssa Castrejon recorded 10 kills and 19 digs.
The Pirates got off to an extremely slow start, falling behind the Vikings 12-1 at one point in the first set. They turned things around, however, pulling to within 18-16. Long Beach finally turned back the Pirate rally, taking the set 25-22.
Ventura kept their momentum into the second set, building a 6-0 lead. They maintained the advantage throughout the set, evening the match 25-22.
The third set was a hard fought battle, with VC holding a slim advantage early on. Long Beach was not to be denied, however, as they took the lead late in the set, claiming a 25-22 victory, and a 2-1 set advantage.
VC seemed to run out of gas a bit in the fourth set, falling behind 9-5. They made one final push to take a 14-13 lead, but five straight winners by the Vikings sealed the Pirates' fate.
Danielle Garcia handed out 21 assists with 13 digs and three aces, and Daisy Martinez also had 21 helpers. Jordan Neria recorded 15 digs with a pair of aces. Janessa Simental and Madeline Bolish had six and five kills, respectively.
The Pirates continue their 3-match homestand on Friday Sept. 29, hosting San Diego Mesa at 6:00 pm at the Athletic Event Center.