The Ventura College volleyball team added two more sweeps to its resume for the young season defeating Golden West 25-22, 25-15, 25-15, and San Diego Mesa 25-22, 25-15, 25-19 Friday in the Pirate Classic Quad at the VC Athletic Event Center. Kayla Murdoch and Kylie Ibbotson led the charge in the first match of the day before Nevada Knowles nearly posted a triple-double in the nightcap.
The opener against Golden West (1-1) was close early. The teams went back and forth throughout the first set with Ventura coming out on top 25-22.
The Pirates took control in the second, doubling up the Rustlers 16-8 before taking the set 25-15.
Murdoch and Ibbotson each had big hits early in the third set as VC continued its dominance with an 8-4 margin. Knowles hit a kill for a 10-5 lead and Murdoch's winner forced a GWC timeout at 19-11. Golden West hit an attack long on match point as VC secured the win 25-15 in the third.
VB��: @gwcathletics attack is long on match point and @VCVolleyball sweeps 25-22, 25-15, 25-15! VC plays @sdmesaathletics at 5pm in the back half of the Pirate Classic Quad. @vcscolleges @TheAcornSports @ventura_college @cccwvca pic.twitter.com/FB2QPFUstM
— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) September 2, 2022
Murdoch led the way with 11 kills and a .476 hitting percentage while Ibbotson had nine winners at .471. Katey Mulville had seven kills and three blocks at the net while Knowles had seven kills, 22 assists and seven digs. Averi Carter recorded five kills and seven digs while Autumn Rojelio Moreno led the defense with 17 digs. Amelie Zubia handed out 15 assists.
Ventura concluded its season-opening five-game home stand with another win in the nightcap, defeating San Diego Mesa (2-1) in straight sets.
The Pirates kept a slim lead over the Olympians throughout the first set with Murdoch recording a kill off a Knowles assist to prompt a Mesa timeout at 20-16. Another winner from Murdoch made it 23-19 and Knowles closed out the set with a kill and a hit that resulted in a wide block for the 25-22 triumph.
The intensity picked up in the second set and Murdoch had a pair of kills to push VC ahead 7-4. Knowles registered two points, including a service ace, and Mulville had a winner in the middle as the Ventura margin stretched to 16-10. Rojelio Moreno served five straight winners and the Pirates pulled away for a 25-15 set win.
VC maintained its momentum in the final set, holding a slim lead throughout most of the action. Alexandria Donnelly had a kill and the Olympians hit a block wide to give Ventura the 17-13 edge, and they moved on from there. The Pirates built a 24-15 advantage before Ibbotson's hit was blocked wide to secure the 25-19 set win for Ventura, clinching the sweep.
VB��: Ibbotson's hit is blocked out and @VCVolleyball finishes the sweep of @sdmesaathletics 25-19. ��☠️ move to 5-0 with 25-22, 25-15, 25-19 win over the Olympians. @ventura_college @vcscolleges @TheAcornSports @cccwvca pic.twitter.com/4cthMbgLST
— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) September 3, 2022
Knowles just missed a triple-double with 17 assists, 11 digs and nine kills, hitting an outstanding .571 in the match. Murdoch recorded 15 kills and eight digs against Mesa. Zubia dished out 13 assists and Rogelio Moreno led the defense with 20 digs.
Ventura closes out its season-opening five-game home stand with a 5-0 record, winning 15 of 16 sets played. It is the best start for the team since its 5-0 debut in 2015. The Pirates next visit Orange Coast College on Wednesday Sept. 7 at 6:00 pm in Costa Mesa.