SBCC stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to tie Wednesday’s WSC men’s volleyball match with powerful Moorpark before falling 3-2 at the Sports Pavilion. The scores were 30-27, 30-21, 25-30, 28-30, 15-10.
Tyson Rietz led the Vaqueros (5-11, 1-8) with 23 kills and three blocks while Chris Newcomb had 20 kills and 11 digs. Mark Hebda, a middle blocker from Bishop Diego High, added 10 kills, three blocks and hit .316. Taylor Comden also had 10 kills while Max Acker-DeOliveira collected a team-high four blocks.
“It was a well-rounded offensive effort,” said coach Melody Parker. “That was a great match for a team that’s put together with a lineup of dedicated players. They’re playing well together. Our libero (Jim Wielebnicki) is doing a great job setting. I really thought they were going to pull it off.”
Wielebnicki has set the last three matches after the Vaqueros lost both their setters. Rietz, Wielebnicki, Comden and Ross Gill all had nine digs for the Vaqueros, who’ve dropped nine of their last 10 matches.
SBCC overcame a 17-12 deficit to win the third set and jumped ahead 10-5 and 17-10 in the fourth. Moorpark (15-2, 8-2) came back to take a 28-26 lead before SBCC reeled off four straight points, capped by a Hebda block and a Rietz kill down the line.
The Vaqueros took a 9-8 lead in the fifth set on a Comden kill but the Raiders scored seven of the last eight points to secure the victory.
“I wanted it for them — they really deserved it,” said Parker. “That was the best volleyball we’ve played this year in the third and fourth (sets). We’re a team that gets better and better, no matter what lineup we have. If we just had a little longer season, we’d be right there.”
SBCC completes its schedule on Friday with a 6 p.m. home match against L.A. Pierce.
