In a game of instant offense, the women’s volleyball team lost to Grossmont College for the second time this season in the semifinal round of the eighth annual Brahma Invitational.
In the first meeting, Grossmont beat the Brahmas in five sets in the San Diego Mesa Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 9.
The Brahmas started off well, leading the majority of the first set by a few points. Grossmont tied a few times, but at the end, the Brahmas took the set with a score of 25-20.
The second set started and Brahmas and Griffins were having a tight game with good hits and blocks from both sides.
The Brahmas seemed to dominate the game at first, but as the set progressed, they started to fall behind.
The set was tied 23-23, but Grossmont College turned the numbers around and won the set 25-23.
Grossmont College won the third set 25-12 as the Brahmas struggled to catch up.
Mardini said the team struggled offensively throughout the game.
“It was not passing or serving, our offense was not there, our setting was not there,” Mardini said.
The fourth and final set gave Grossmont College the victory with a score of 25-18. This win led them to the championship game.
Mardini said the team was not consistent or steady enough to win the game although the team played well overall.The team didn’t get enough kills, and Mardini said they are not going to win games if they don’t finish their chances.
“It’s a physical team. We are not going to win if we don’t get kills, and that was the problem, we didn’t get kills enough,” Mardini said.
Victoria Estus, who plays as a defensive specialist, said that the team played well even though the game didn’t go in their favor.
“The first two sets were really good,” Estus said. “We played as Brahmas.”
According to Estus, in the third and fourth set, the Brahmas struggled because of miscommunication between them.
“The goal for the next game is to serve tougher and communicate better,” Estus said.
Sydney Long, the middle blocker, said that in a negative situation they pick each other up and give themselves constructive criticism.
Long describes the Brahmas as feisty, and she said her teammates made it tough for Grossmont on a few occasions.
“We definitely don’t give up easily, even when we do lose, we usually make them fight hard for a few points,” Long said.
The women’s volleyball team gave a fighting performance, but it was not enough to advance to the finals.
The women’s volleyball team beat Bakersfield College in straight sets to land third place.
The team’s next game is on Wednesday, Sept. 27 against Santa Barbara City College at 6 p.m.