No. 3 Canyons Edged by No. 4 Santa Barbara City College
The Cougars post an impressive stat line despite the loss.
The No. 3 ranked College of the Canyons women's volleyball team was put to the test by No. 4 ranked Santa Barbara City College, eventually falling 3-1 (21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-27) to the Vaqueros on Wednesday night.
Canyons (10-2) posted stats that allude to a victory, but Santa Barbara's success came from behind the service line. The Vaqueros (12-2) served eight more aces than the Cougars and that ended up being the difference.
Offensively, Canyons out hit Santa Barbara by a margin of .304 to .195 and tallied 24 more kills. On the defensive side, the Cougars nearly hit the century mark in digs, while posting 29 more than the Vaqueros.
COC freshman outside hitter Emily Bible led the Cougars with a match-high 21 digs while hitting at an efficient .304 clip. She also came away with 24 digs in the match.
Canyons sophomores Chelsea Corn and Brooke Garelick each made significant contributions defensively with 30 and 19 digs, respectfully.
Sophomore opposite hitter Alize Bricot had 10 kills, while Garelick added 11 of her own.
The Cougar middle blockers also had a huge presence, combining for a .516 hitting percentage on the match, to go with 16 kills.
COC sophomore setter Katie Rutecki had a big night with 52 assists and 10 of her own digs to help out defensively.
The Cougars return home to host Antelope Valley College (4-6) in the Western State Conference, South opener on Friday Oct. 2. Game time is 6 p.m.