FINAL STATS: OHLONE | MENDOCINO
TAFT, CA – On Friday, September 1, redemption tasted really sweet for the Taft College Women's Volleyball team. The Lady Cougars traveled up north to compete in the Renegade Classic at Ohlone College. The Cougars played both the Ohlone College Renegades and the Mendocino College Eagles.
The Lady Cougars took on the Renegades first. Both teams fought long and hard through a five-set match. Ultimately, it was the Lady Cougars who came out on top and proved that they fought as one team until the very end. Taft took the first set 25-16. However, the Renegades came back and took the second set 18-25. As for the third set, the Cougars were determined, as they pushed back and won 25-23. The fourth set was up for grabs and the Renegades confirmed that they wanted it by winning 14-25. It all came down to the fifth set. The Renegades started strong with a lead of 11-5 over the Cougars. But the Cougars weren't discouraged as they came from behind with a serving run from Sophomore Libero Kailee Wakatake. The Cougars were now eye to eye with the Renegades, standing at 11-11. The Renegades gained a point, but the Cougars paved their way ahead as it came down to 12-14 favoring TC. Freshman defensive specialist Tailynn Boggs hit the Renegades with a game winning ace to end the match.
In the second match, the Cougars meant business. They took all three sets in a sweep against the Mendocino Eagles (25-13, 25-15, 25-15).
Taft College Volleyball Head Coach Mallori Rossi shared remarks on both matches, "I am extremely proud of the way our team fought for these two wins on the road. They showed a lot of heart and resiliency in both matches. We changed up our lineup a few times, and no matter who was on the court, the entire team was in support of one another which shows a lot of maturity from such a young team."
She then went on to mention a few of her players, "Ariana stepped up for us in many ways. She sparked our offense in the first set against Ohlone with four kills, she was a fierce defender, and switched roles into a 5-1 setter to lead the team to victory. Kailee stabilized our ball control as she averaged an incredible 6.75 digs/set. Her confidence and poise on the court is truly impressive. McCall, Taniyah, and Jayde were dominant at the net both matches. They made great decisions on where to score and stayed very positive throughout the day."
Taft College will be hosting Cuesta College and Los Medanos College on Tuesday, September 5th, in a doubleheader, home opener match. The Cougars will play Cuesta College at 12:00 pm, and Los Medanos College at 5:00 pm to follow. Cuesta and Los Medanos will play each other in between.