SBCC dropped its second five-set men’s volleyball match in three days on Friday night in the Sports Pavilion. The Vaqueros went ahead 2-1 before Moorpark rallied for a 3-2 WSC victory. The scores were 25-20, 16-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-11.
Santa Barbara (3-7, 0-3) is 0-4 in five-set matches this year.
Collin Cohen had 16 kills and Dakota Smith added 15 to go along with a .371 hitting percentage. Middle hitter Aquiles Montoya added seven kills. Smith also had 14 digs.
After winning the third set 25-18 on a kill by Smith, the Vaqueros went up 6-0 in the fourth set. Minutes later, the Raiders took a 10-9 lead that they never relinquished.
“We don’t believe we can win and that’s been a problem,” said coach Armen Zakarian. “We are now 0-4 in five-setters and we’ve had leads in every one we’ve played.
“As a coach, you try to put your team in the best position to win. After a certain point, they have to believe in themselves and they’re having trouble doing that.”
Freshman Davis Grininger came off the bench to start the second set and gave the Vaqueros a spark. He hit .500 with six kills and “earned himself a starting spot,” according to Zakarian.
SBCC led 20-13 on the way to a second-set win and 17-12 in the third.
“At the end of the match, we didn’t pass as well, especially in Game 4,” Zakarian added. “They started serving a lot tougher and we had trouble siding out.”
In the fifth set, Moorpark (6-3, 1-1) jumped ahead 7-2. The Vaqueros got within two at 9-7 on a stuff by Montoya but couldn’t get any closer.
“We’re not protecting our home court and that’s unacceptable,” said Zakarian. “At some point, these guys have to start believing in themselves.”
SBCC travels to Santa Monica on Wednesday night.
