Freshman outside hitter Leslie Rivera held serve during a 13-0 run that started the third set as the Pasadena City College women's volleyball team was on all cylinders in a sweep over Los Angeles Harbor, 25-14, 25-18, 25-18, Wednesday night at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. The match was a South Coast Conference crossover contest, one that does not count toward division standings.
PCC improved to 9-11 overall while the Seahawks dropped to 7-9.
The Lancers hit an impressive .750 without an error (12-for-16) in an 11-point opening set rout. Outside hitter Janell Currier hit three of her team-high eight kills (and six digs, two blocks) in the game. Overall, Rivera added seven kills, six digs, four set assists, two blocks, and two aces while opposite Abby Martin scored five kills and served four aces. Martin landed back-to-back kills in a 7-0 Lancers run that made it 21-11 in that opening set.
In the second set, Martin twirled consecutive aces in a 12-5 PCC run that sent the Lancers on their way to a 2-0 games lead. After the opening salvo in the third set, PCC head coach Mike Terrill emptied his bench in a rare moment during the team's recent stretch of matches where PCC held control throughout an entire match.
"We played with a level of confidnece that was important for us to feel as we move into the second round of North Division play next week," Terrill said. "We were pleased as agroup because we were able to effectively communicate during rallies and transfer what we've practiced into our game play. Our pins were effective offensively tonight. The next two weeks will be exciting and challenging for us."
The Lancers are looking at a situation where they may have to win the SCC North (for a second straight season after taking last year's title) to gain a postseason playoff berth. Tied for first place with East Los Angeles (both at 3-1), PCC can grab an automatic SoCal Regional seed by winning the title. Depending on other conferences, second place in the North may not be enough for a berth.
On Halloween night, the Lancers play at East LA in a must-win situation as the Huskies already beat PCC in the first round of division play. That Wednesday match will have a 6 p.m. first serve.