No. 22 Chargers Upset No. 7 Saddleback, 3-1

No. 22 Chargers Upset No. 7 Saddleback, 3-1

CYPRESS, CA – No. 22 Cypress women's volleyball knocked off the visiting No. 7 Saddleback Gauchos at home on Friday night, 3-1 (25-17, 12-25, 25-23, 25-23).

Freshaman Khamis Berneker led the Chargers on Friday, hitting 16 kills and 2 solo blocks. Sophomore Brianna Johnson added 8 kills and 3 blocks, while freshman Kyra Sims had 6 kills and 2 blocks.

"I'm really happy that I could help my team. My biggest thing is helping my teammates and contributing to the game any way I can," said Kyra Sims. "We will take this game and know that we can play even better. We're a young team and we make mistakes but we don't give up. This team has a positive attitude and our chemistry just keeps getting better."

The Chargers took a quick lead over the Gauchos in the first set, with an 8-point serving run by Johnson (12-4). Cypress played incredible defense throughout the set, finishing it off with a block from Jane Woodward (22-14) and a kill from Johnson to win the first set 25-17.

In set 2, the Gauchos took an early lead after an ace from Natalee Gray and a kill from Helena Lawson. Strong defense at the net kept the Gauchos ahead as they dominated the second set, 12-25.

The Chargers responded in the third set, taking an early lead after an ace from Berneker and back-to-back kills from Johnson. The Gauchos responded with a run to tie the game at 23 a-piece, but Cypress finished them off with a block from Johnson and Berneker to take the set, 25-23.

The Chargers came out strong in the fourth set with a serving run by Penina Wilder, giving them in a comfortable lead. Relentless defense down the stretch, capped off by a huge solo block and kill from Berneker to end the match, 25-23. 

Women's volleyball will return to action on Wednesday when they travel to take on Golden West College at 6:00 pm.

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