Vaqueros fall to No. 2 El Camino

SBCC turned in one of its better performances of the year but still came up short in the opening round of the Southern Cal Regional at No. 2 seed El Camino in Torrance. The Warriors won the women’s volleyball playoff match 3-1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-17, 25-22).

Freshman Emily Banas had 12 kills, 10 digs and two blocks. Heidi Van Den Oever added 10 kills and an ace. Bianca Castro contributed six kills and four blocks for the 15th-seeded Vaqueros, who finish with a 13-11 record.

“This was one of our best matches, we played great defense and we were strong in blocking and serving,” said assistant coach Armen Zakarian. “We had a little trouble passing in the first set but we came out on fire in the second set.”

Rachel Stehly had three kills, two blocks and two aces. Mackenzie Mexico had 15 digs and Mariah Mathews handed out 38 assists.

It was the 15th straight win for El Camino, the state’s fourth-ranked team.

“It was a tough way to end the season but we’ll be back strong again next year,” said Zakarian.