Canyons Volleyball Outduels Cypress in 3-2 Tourney Win

The COC women's volleyball team concluded day one of the Cerritos Invitational Tournament with a five-set victory over Cypress College.

The Cougars (6-0) endured a grueling match but were able to hold on for a 3-2 victory (25-15, 24-26, 25-18, 24-26, 15-11) over the Chargers and remain undefeated on the season.

Cypress finished the 2014 season ranked No. 5 in the state and was a regional finalist in the CCCAA SoCal playoffs, before eventually being edged out by Grossmont College.

The win over the Chargers represented the first five-set match for the Cougars in 2015.

On the offensive side, COC posted an impressive .410 hitting percentage led by freshman outside hitter Emily Bible who tallied a career- and match-high 27 kills and a .522 hitting percentage. Bible also added 19 digs.

COC sophomore opposite Alize Bricot added 17 of her own kills and a .444 hitting percentage.

Also contributing to the effort was sophomore outside hitter Brooke Garelick, who helped round out the offense with 10 kills and 16 digs.

COC setter Katie Rutecki facilitated the offense effectively while registering a career-high 61 assists. The sophomore also contributed defensively with 11 digs.

Canyons sophomore libero Chelsea Corn added much needed pressure on the Chargers with six aces and 13 digs.

The Cougars return to action against Victor Valley College (1-6) at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, in the second and final day of the Cerritos Invitational.