CYPRESS, CA- The Cypress Women's volleyball team (21-2, 13-1 OEC) took on the visiting Irvine Valley Lasers (13-4, 9-3 OEC) in a thrilling 5 set match (17-25, 26-28, 25-9, 25-23, 15-11) on Friday night! The Chargers came back from a 0-2 deficit to shock the Lasers and clinch a share of the OEC title.

Rachel Gonzales led the team with 22 kills and Amanda Risch was close behind with 15 kills. Vanila Pulu-Suliafu had another impressive night with a staggering 51 assists, eleven digs and six aces. On the defensive side, Libero, Zoe Munn led the team with 26 digs while Alexis Flores finished the night with four solo blocks.

Cypress scored the first two points of set one but the Lasers were quick to respond. Irvine Valley would go on a 7-0 run, leading to a Cypress timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Chargers went on a run of their own, scoring five straight points to bring the score within one, 10-11. This would not slow the Irvine attack as the Lasers went on to score seven straight points and win the set 25-17.

In set number two the intensity of both sides was on full display. The two teams traded points, tying at seven then again at nine. Kills from Vanila Pulu-Suliafu and Amanda Risch put the Chargers up by three, 12-9, leading to an Irvine timeout. Both teams continued to trade points and an ace from Nicaylah Iamaleava tied the score at 18. A flurry of kills from Amanda Risch gave Cypress the lead, 24-21 but Irvine would not go away. The set went to game point three times and the Lasers eventually won set two, 28-26.

After going down 0-2 for the first time in conference play, the Chargers kept their heads high and came out firing in set three. A team effort offensively gave Cypress an early lead, 10-6. After an Irvine timeout, the Charger attack continued while the defensive front held strong. Three straight kills from Alli Arriolla gave Cypress a resounding 20-9 lead and they finished the set on an 8-1 run, winning 25-9.

The Charger momentum continued as they fought to even the match count. Two kills from Rachel Gonzales gave Cypress a 10-6 lead but Irvine would not go down easily. Both teams went back and forth, eventually tying the score at 20. With the game within reach for Irvine Valley, Cypress called a timeout after going down 22-20. They responded with scoring four straight points and a kill from Tainea Allen ended the set, 25-23.  

With the match tied up 2-2, both teams were seeking victory. The Lasers jumped out to an early lead of 3-2 but the Chargers responded with a kill and block by Vanila Pulu-Suliafu to put the Chargers up 9-5. After a timeout by IVC, Cypress kept their foot on the gas, finishing the match 15-11 off a kill by Tainea Allen.

With the victory tonight, the Chargers earned a share of the OEC title with the opportunity to clinch the conference outright with a victory in one of their two final matches versus Riverside or Orange Coast.

UP NEXT: Chargers will hit the road for their final road game of the regular season when they travel to Riverside College on November 10. The match will begin at 6PM.  

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