SBCC reached the semifinals of the season-opening Long Beach Invitational men’s volleyball tournament on Sunday before falling to El Camino 25-20.
Jordon Dyer, a sophomore setter from Dos Pueblos High, and Michael Naki, the lone returner from last year’s 9-9 playoff team, led the Vaqueros. Santa Barbara went 2-2 in pool play (best 2-of-3 sets) with wins over Irvine Valley and El Camino. In the playoffs (1 game to 25 points), they rallied from a 13-8 deficit to beat L.A. Pierce 25-20, then fell to El Camino.
“The goal today was to play as many guys as possible and see how we reacted against someone who wasn’t us,” said coach Armen Zakarian. “We played 10 games on the day and we did pretty well. Our defense kept us in every game.”
Zakarian also praised the play of opposite Cody Kreitzer and libero Derek Martinez.
The Vaqueros take on Orange Coast in Costa Mesa on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
