Someone jokingly told Jenn Waddill that her SBCC women‘s volleyball team should drive to Ventura and back just to make it feel like another road match prior to Tuesday‘s home opener in the Sports Pavilion.
The Vaqueros opted to remain on campus and proceeded to sweep Bakersfield 25-11, 25-18, 25-19 for their eighth win in nine outings. Santa Barbara (10-4) spent the first month on the road, playing 13 away matches.
Waddill, a 6-1 sophomore middle blocker from San Marcos High, had 13 kills and three blocks while hitting a sterling .706.
“It felt so good to finally play at home,” said Waddill. “We played really well as a team. We’re finally coming together as one and pushing forward together.”
Allyson Porter had 11 kills and 19 digs, Antonia Antes had 10 kills and 10 digs, and Arianna Kamp notched six kills with a .500 hitting percentage. Nicole Bergmann, who also patrols the middle, had four kills and hit .800.
Hillary Tomas had 12 digs and libero Piper Obradovich added 10.
“It was a solid team effort,” said coach Ed Gover. “Kelsey (Soos, the setter) moved the ball around and ran the middles beautifully. When you hit .800 and .706 in the middle, that’s awesome.“
The Vaqueros jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the first set and Tatiana Aquiline capped the 25-11 win with a kill from the left side. They closed out set No. 2 with an 8-2 run and Waddill ended the 25-18 decision with a block.
In the third set, SBCC overcame deficits of 9-5 and 12-9. The home team took the lead for good at 15-14 on a kill by Porter. The Renegades (6-5) got within one at 18-17 before Waddill sparked a match-ending 7-2 spurt and secured the 25-19 victory with a kill in the middle.
The Vaqueros travel to Glendora to take on Citrus on Friday.
