By Wes McCurtis
CYPRESS, CA – The fifth seeded Cypress College women's volleyball team defended their home floor in the second round of the Southern California Regional in an energy packed arena on Saturday night against the No. 13 seed Moorpark Raiders. The Chargers defeated the Raiders in 4-sets (25, 16, 28-26, 22-25, 25-13) to advance to the 2016 CCCAA State Tournament.
The Chargers were led by a balanced attack, as they have for much of the season, with three players notching double-digit kills. Sophomores Willa Allshouse and Rockelle Gholson led the way with 15 kills each, while freshman Samantha Madrid added 13 kills. Gholson also managed to finish with a team-high 17 digs on the night.
The Moorpark Raiders, coming off their upset over No. 4 Mira Costa, started off hot early on their way to a 6-2 lead in the opening set. Cypress sophomore Samantha Martinez answered with her serve, as she has all season, and helped tie the game at 7-7 with 1 of her 3 aces on the night. The Chargers strong serving continued as they took control of the first set and went on to win 25-16.
Moorpark came out looking to rebound in the second set as they jumped out to a 10-6 lead. However, the Chargers picked up their back row defense, led by sophomore libero Emily Witz, and cut the Raider lead to only 2 points. With their backs against the wall, trailing 21-24, Gholson fired a ball off a Moorpark player to close within 2 again. The Chargers then scored on a long rally and forced a Moorpark timeout. Trailing 23-24, Martinez came up with another timely ace to tie the game at 24 apiece. The Raiders were unable to recover from the Cypress run as the Chargers stole the second set 28-26.
The third set had a familiar feel as the Raiders jumped out to another early lead. This time however, the Chargers would have a difficult time getting back in the game. Cypress struggled to get their attacks past Moorpark's Taylor Brown and Cindy Norris. The Chargers would make it close but fall short in the end as the Raiders took the third set 25-22.
On the cusp of advancing, the Chargers came out on a mission in the fourth set. Cypress played their best game of the night offensively, taking an early 13-7 lead to force a Moorpark timeout. An Allshouse kill followed by a Brianna Johnson tip gave the Chargers a commanding 15-7 lead. Cypress refused to let up and went on to win the fourth set convincingly, 25-13, and the match 3-1.
The win advances the Cypress College women's volleyball program to its first CCCAA State Tournament appearance since 2010. This year's State Championship Tournament will be held from December 2nd – 4th at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA. The single elimination tournament will consist of 8 teams, including 4 from Southern California and 4 from Northern California.
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