Rachel Roth, Spring 2009 Staff Writer
The Pierce College women’s volleyball team closed out their regular season Thursday by shutting out College of the Canyons and winning their eighth conference championship in as many years.
The eight-time conference champions went undefeated in conference play, won 29 games and lost just one, and will likely enter playoffs tomorrow as a number one seed and extended their home-win streak to 60.
But it wasn’t easy.
In front of a standing-room only gym, the Brahmas started out Sophomore Night strong. They opened game one with seven unanswered points and scored 19 of the game’s first 26 points.
With Pierce up 19-7, Lisa Hooper, head coach of COC, called a timeout. It took the Brahmas out of their rhythm and COC scored eight of the next nine points, making the score 21-15.
“We didn’t pass the ball as well (in game one),” said Brahmas head coach Nabil Mardini. “We’re still struggling with (the serve/receive). It’s the one thing I want to see the team do better.”
Pierce won game one, 25-19.
Perhaps feeding off the buzz of the packed gym, they won game two decisively, 25-12.
“Game two wasn’t good for us,” said Hooper, who felt her team struggled because they were missing key players due to injury. “A couple of people were having some difficulty tonight. Asking people to step it up when they’ve not seen much time all season is difficult.”
Game three was hard-fought from the first whistle. Pierce was able to jump ahead of COC, 18-10, but then allowed the Cougars to score six unanswered points.
With the score 21-18, in favor of Pierce, confusion at the scorer’s table cost the Brahmas a point.
“(Officials) gave us the wrong information,” Mardini said. “They told us we had two substitutions left. They shouldn’t have (penalized) us because it was their mistake.”
The Brahmas were able to battle through the confusion and win game three, 25-22, as the men’s volleyball team, dressed in Speedos and a bull costume, chanted; “It’s our house.”
Janet Alvarado, a sophomore, led the team in points with 12 kills. Vanessa Murray, also a sophomore, had 10 kills and one ace and Sarah Martin, a freshman, contributed 10 points.
Sophomore Terry Soltani, who leads the state in assists with 1,023 and holds the record at Pierce with 2,255, added 38 assists.
Captain Kameron Ward, a sophomore, thought her last regular season game for Pierce was “sweet and sad.”
“We fight for each other, we play for each other, we are friends on and off the court and we just won conference. It’s fantastic,” she said after the game. “The Brahma Dome is a special place and I won’t be playing any more conference games here. It’s kind of crazy to think about.”
This group of sophomores helped Pierce to win 54 out of 58 games in two years. Mardini will miss them.
“It’s always been about building relationships with the girls. Getting to know them at the personal level is what I adore the most about coaching,” he said. “These sophomores bought into everything that I taught them. They understood what it takes to be not just good, but great, and that is what I admire the most.”
The team, because of its record, will have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The first round is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the South Gym.
Pierce’s Natasha Wilroy (16) (center) drives a point through to College of the Canyons defenders during the women’s volleyball final regular season home match on Thursday, November 20, 2008. Pierce won the match 3-0. ()
Pierce’s Janet Alvarado (10) (right) blocks a shot from College of the Canyons Jessica Frost (16) (left) during the women’s volleyball teams final regular season home match on Thursday, November 20, 2008. ()