The Ventura High gym turned into a house of horrors for the San Marcos girls volleyball team on Halloween eve.
The Cougars gave the Royals fits and won the Channel League match, 15-25, 26-24, 21-25 25-23, 15-6.
With their third loss in league, the Royals’ chances of repeating as league champion took a serious hit. They would need Santa Barbara to lose against Buena and then beat the Dons in next Tuesday’s regular season finale at Santa Barbara to gain a share of the title
San Marcos coach Erica Downing said she was worried about playing at Ventura after winning an emotional match on Tuesday against Dos Pueblos.
Her worries were realized as Ventura played good defense and played with confidence.
San Marcos had good balance on offense as Chloe Allen, Emily Allen and middle Emma Harrah each had 14 kills. Anika Wilson added 10.
The Royals, 4-3 in league play, face Division 1-A top-ranked La Salle on Friday in the first round of the Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.
