Emily Banas had six kills and five digs Wednesday night but No. 10 Bakersfield spoiled the home opener for the SBCC women’s volleyball team, beating the Vaqueros 25-14, 25-14, 25-18.
“We’re a young team that’s building,” said coach Ed Gover. “Bakersfield is obviously a good team. We’re playing better as a unit.”
Jenna Anderson added four kills and six digs. The freshman from El Toro High hit .400 for the match. Mackenzie Mexico had a team-high 10 digs.
Bakersfield (7-1) was led by the hitting of sophomore Caitlin Bernardin. The 19th-ranked Vaqueros led the first set 5-3 and 10-9 before the Renegades went on an 11-2 run.
The Vaqueros (2-5) came back from a 10-point deficit in the third set with a 6-1 burst that pulled them within five at 21-16. The run was capped by an ace from Anderson and a kill by Banas.
“We need to improve our passing and defense,” said Banas. “When we get better in those areas and start working as a team, we’ll be fine.”
Bianca Castro was a force in the third set for the Vaqueros.
“We finally found our middle, our all-conference player Bianca Castro, at the end and Emily got into a rhythm,” said Gover.
The Vaqueros have lost five straight matches — all to teams ranked 13th or higher in the state.
“We’re playing the toughest talent and that brings out the best in our players,” Gover noted. “We now know what it takes to be a state championship team. We’re playing the best, we don’t hide from anybody.
“We’ll take our lumps in the preseason. Our goal is to get our ticket to the dance in conference. This team will be battle-tested by the time we get to conference. We’re getting better and better.”
The Vaqueros will take on No. 8 Golden West on Friday at 4 p.m. in the opening round of the L.A. Pierce Invitational.
