The Taft College women's volleyball team celebrated its home opener with family, friends, and fans prior to its two matches on Friday, serving up hamburgers and snacks outside the gym. The Cougars closed the day with a pair of hard-fought losses, falling 3-0 to both visiting DeAnza and San Joaquin Delta colleges.
Taft opened the day's action with a 25-12, 25-19, 25-14 loss to DeAnza. The Cougars got excellent play from its freshman who were making their home-court debut. Freshmen Lauren Pau-De Santos and Jasmine Chipen-li both had four kills each to lead the Cougars. Freshman Elisia Brown had a team-best 16 assists while Pau-De Santos and fellow freshman Janae Niutupuivaha both had nine digs each.
Sophomore Keala Skeele also had a good match, contributing four kills, four digs, and a block.
The Cougars had a tougher time against San Joaquin Delta, dropping the match by scores of 25-7, 25-10, and 25-14. Pau-De Santos once again led the Cougars, this time posting five kills. Chipen-li totaled seven digs, Brown had 12 assists, and Skeele added two solo blocks.
Taft, now 0-3 overall, returns to action next weekend when it will compete at the two-day Delta College Classic tournament in Stockton. The Cougars open play with a 2 p.m. match on Friday (Sep. 6) against Gavilan College of Gilroy.