After a slow start, SBCC reeled off four straight blocks midway through the second set on Friday night and went on to beat fifth-ranked L.A. Pierce 3-1 for a key men’s volleyball victory in Woodland Hills. The scores were 17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22.
Chris Utroske and Matt Winslow had 12 kills apiece and Aquiles Montoya registered seven stuff blocks. Jordon Dyer had 45 assists and 10 service points. Derek Martinez had 13 digs.
It was the third straight win for the No. 9 Vaqueros (9-6, 4-4 WSC) and moved them into third place alone, a half-game ahead of Pierce. The Brahmas fell to 8-6 and 3-4.
“We came out a little flat with five errors and five net violations and dropped the first set,” said coach Armen Zakarian. “We were down 12-9 in the second set, then we made four straight blocks that changed the match. I think it shocked them a little bit.
“Then we settled into a groove.”
The Vaqueros beat a team they had lost to in the first round of conference for the second time in three days.
“The strength of Pierce’s attack are the middles and we shut them down,” Zakarian noted. “That was the best offensive performance by Chris Utroske this year. And Aquiles played well also.
“We really showed our depth tonight. We’re on a roll and we control our own destiny for the playoffs.”
The Vaqueros will host No. 2 El Camino on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
