“Pierce is a tough team at home and we were right there with them,” said coach Armen Zakarian. “We’re right on the verge of breaking through.”
It was the second straight 3-2 loss for the Vaqueros (3-5, 0-1), who were led by Michael Naki and Justin Carroll with 14 kills apiece. Justin Hertlein added 13 and Kyle Benskin had 10. Benskin hit .418 and Carroll finished at .407.
Jacob Jenkins had 14 digs and a 2.35 passer rating (on a scale of 3.0). Setter Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo handed out 59 assists.
Hertlein finished off the third set with two straight kills. “We didn’t want to start slow in the fourth set, then we fell behind 5-0,” said Zakarian.
In the fifth set, Pierce (6-2, 1-0) scored four straight points to get to match point at 14-9. The Vaqueros answered with two straight before the Brahmas got the final point.
SBCC will play its second home match of the season on Friday when El Camino comes to the Sports Pavilion for a 6 p.m. contest.
