Marion Kimble
Pierce College held their own against San Diego Mesa College Wednesday, winning with a score of 3-0.
The game played out in Pierce’s favor for most of the night, with Mesa only collecting enough steam to keep the audience on their toes.
Pierce finished the first game 30-17, with Mesa taking the lead only once by two points mid-game. Both sides played ferociously, but despite the heart Mesa clearly had, they didn’t have the follow-through to steal the game.
The second game was almost the same as the first, as the Pierce team kept their energy flowing. Mesa ran through its bench in an attempt to slow the rampaging Brahmas, but the away girls just couldn’t stop the home team from taking another drink from the chalice of victory.
Mesa didn’t let up and nearly made a comeback toward the end, but the Brahmas took the second game, 30-19.
During the final stretch, Mesa decided to show off what they were made of.
The game started just like the first two, with Pierce taking an early lead, but it wasn’t long before Mesa players like Ashton O’Halloran called on the power within to turn things in their favor.
Though Pierce had a demanding seven-point lead mid-game, the mighty Olympians were quick to close the gap.
Still moving through the bench to keep the girls fresh, both sides volleyed what seemed to be cannonballs across the field in ever-increasing bouts for each coveted point. Mesa tied the game at 28-28 after much hard work, and quickly took the lead.
Pierce’s girls wouldn’t let themselves stay behind for long, bringing the score back to a tie of 30-30 in a matter of minutes. The girls at home began to realize they let off their game a bit too much and worked hard to close the deal with an ending score of 32-30.
“We could have done better,” said Ashley Lugo-Brown, Brahmas team captain. “I expected [Mesa] to play harder. We’ve played them before and this is not how they usually play.”
That’s not to say that the Mesa team didn’t dish out the goods.
“They’re a good team,” said Taraneh “Terry” Soltani, #12 for the Brahmas. “I played well. We relaxed too much toward the end.”
“The girls don’t have that much experience,” said Nabil Mardini, coach for the Pierce Women’s Volleyball team. “The more games the better.”
“I like what I see out there,” continues Mardini. “I’m seeing a lot of progress. I’ve very happy with the girls.”
Ranked seventh statewide, the team began Western State Conference play last night at Moorpark College.
The results were not available by press time.