Women’s volleyball beats first-place Santa Barbara

The Pierce College women’s volleyball team bounced back from last week’s straight-set loss at Moorpark College with a straight-set win on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at first-place Santa Barbara City College.

The Brahmas won 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-17) with aggressive, fundamental volleyball, head coach Nabil Mardini said.

“The way we played was outstanding,” Mardini said. “We controlled the game from the get-go. We were the aggressors. We applied pressure the whole game, and it worked.”

Outside hitter Jessica Martinez and libero Darrin Rice played key roles in Pierce’s win, but had plenty of help from their teammates, Mardini said.

“Darrin did a good job digging balls and creating a lot of opportunities for us,” Mardini said. “But the entire team did an outstanding job.”

The win improved the Brahmas record to 12-8 overall, 4-3 in Western State Conference (WSC) matches, and kept Pierce tied for third-place with its next opponent, Ventura College, in the WSC’s North division.

“It’s really big in terms of seeding in the conference,” Mardini said. “We’re still in the hunt.”

Pierce’s match against Ventura is at home on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m.