After trailing for roughly half of each set on Wednesday night, SBCC got its offense in gear in a 30-23, 30-27, 30-27 men’s volleyball sweep of Santa Monica at the Sports Pavilion.
The Vaqueros (7-4, 2-2 WSC) didn’t gain the lead until 15-14 in the first set, 19-18 in the second (with the exception of 1-0) and 17-16 in the third. The Corsairs fell to 3-7 and 1-3.
Miles Evans had 13 kills and seven digs, Pete Aronchick pounded 10 kills and Justin Hertlein had seven. Jonathan Newton and Cody Zoesch collected five blocks apiece and setter Kaahukane Leite-AhYo had four.
“They were pretty scrappy, we just wanted to stay calm,” said Aronchick, a 6-6 freshman from Santa Barbara High who ended the match with a kill from the left side. “We knew if we kept the ball in, got some blocks and some stops, we’d be able to pull away.”
The Vaqueros overcame deficits of 12-6 in the second set and 12-8 in the third.
“Our strength is our middles and they blocked great tonight,” said coach Melody Parker. “We’re building a lot of confidence. We’ve had a few really great practices and the preparation is paying off. We’re playing much more disciplined and our team chemistry is excellent.
“I’m very pleased with their progress.”
The Vaqueros will complete the first round of WSC play on Friday at Moorpark.
