Despite a valiant effort, the Pirate volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to defending champion Feather River in the 3C2A State Tournament Friday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Kyla Murdoch finished her VC career with another double-double of 18 kills and 13 digs and sophomore Kylie Ibbotson had a career day with 15 winners at the net. Autumn Rojelio, also a second-year player, also posted a double-double with 21 digs and 13 assists as the Pirates completed their best season in a quarter-century at 21-4.
In the first set, the teams were tied at 15-15 before FRC went on a 10-2 run to close out a 25-17 win.
In the second, Ventura, the No. 2 seed feom Southern California, took their first lead at 9-8 on an ace by Ibbotson. Murdoch and freshman Makena Schaumloeffel had kills for a 12-10 advantage and a block at the net pushed the margin to 16-11. A Feather River timeout spurred an Eagle comeback, and the NorCal No. 3-seed had a set point at 24-23. VC then rallies as first-year player Talia Behrens and Murdoch hit he final two winners for the 27-25 set win.
��- Murdoch with the kill and Pirates take set 2…27-25 @VCVolleyball @vcscolleges @TheAcornSports pic.twitter.com/euTlk59H3A
— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) December 1, 2023
Ventura hung tough in the third set, but FRC maintained the upper hand throughout. The Pirates trailed 20-15 before taking their final timeout of the set, and Ibbotson followed with a kill and an ace to pull VC back to within 22-19. Ultimately, the Eagles were able to hold off the Pirates and take the set 25-20. The set featured an amazing 20-play rally as Rojelio put on a defensive clinic for Ventura to dig out several attacks in the flurry.
The fourth set was tied at 9-9 before Feather River went on an 8-0 run to take control, ultimately clinching the match with a 25-17 set win.
Behrens finished the match with 10 kills in the middle and freshman Ashley Johnson handed out 31 assists with nine digs and four block assists. VC sophomore Alba Romanos Gracia and Ibbotson each contributed six digs to the defensive effort. Sophomores Brianna Morrison and Jocelyn Montoya also had solid efforts in their final match in the orange and black.
Ventura head coach Brad Lyans said, "It's never fun to lose, but I love the fact that we made it this far, and got a little taste of what excellence feels like. We played well enough at times, and well enough to take that second set. We just ran into an opponent who was just a little more consistent than us. We look forward to working hard this off-season to get back here next year."
Contributions to this story by Robert Lewis, 3C2A/CCCWVCA SID