Despite a heated third set, Pierce College’s women’s volleyball solidified their 53rd consecutive victory with a win at West Los Angeles College on Wednesday.
Pierce defeated West L.A. in straight sets 25-10, 25-11, 25-19.
“We took care of business,” said head coach Nabil Mardini.
During the third game of the match, West L.A. played better than the coach anticipated.
“You always want to make sure you don’t play down to the level of the opponent, and we didn’t do that tonight,” Mardini said. “We might have done that a little bit in the third game, but we came back.”
Pierce has won the first three games during every match this season except one, and West L.A. nearly became the second team to bring the Brahmas to a four-set match.
“They made us play the ball,” Mardini said. “We made a lot of errors in the third game that kept it very close.”
All errors aside, the Brahmas finished with 22 total aces.
“We played well, and that’s what it takes for us to win a match,” Mardini said.
Sophomore outside hitter Danetta Boykin and freshman opposite hitter Ashlea Smith led the game with nine kills and five kills, respectively.
“As a team, we played well. We communicated, and there were a lot of good play by all of our hitters,” Danielle Hochman, sophomore defensive specialist, said.
With 26 assists, sophomore setter Janelle Futch contributed to the Brahma win.
“Our passing was really good tonight,” Futch said. “It was easy for me to give different sets to the hitters so they could kill the ball.”
Futch doesn’t take any special measures to prepare before a game. She simply keeps concentrated on the court.
“I just focus on what I have to do, remembering all the fundamentals that I learned and focusing on our side,” Futch said.
Though West L.A. played a good match, Futch paid attention to her own performance and her team.
“[West L.A.] played well, and they got a lot of balls up and over,” Futch said. “We did good coming out with the win tonight, but we just have to focus on taking care of our side of the court.”
Both the team and Mardini are readying for a “big match” against College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on Friday.
“We tried a few different rotations tonight,” Mardini said. “[College of the Canyons] is a good passing team, so we have to practice.”
Futch is concerned about the size and volume of the crowd.
“We know that they are going to be loud and rowdy,” Futch said. “We just have to tune out the noise.”
To prepare, the team will watch a lot of films and show up to the match with renewed confidence, according to Mardini.
“We just got to make sure the players are fresh and rested and ready for the game physically,” Mardini said.
Pierce’s game against College of the Canyons is expected to tip off at 7 p.m. Friday in Santa Clarita.
For more on women’s volleyball and other Pierce sports, visit The Roundup News.
