It has been a hot start for the Riverside City College indoor volleyball team as they have reeled in three-straight Orange Empire Conference (OEC) victories. After a change in location, the Tigers hosted the Saddleback College Gauchos and looked to stretch that streak to four matches. Riverside did so successfully by cruising to a three-set victory with scores reading 25-21, 25-17, 25-13.
The match began competitve as Riverside and Saddleback traded blows in the first set leading to a 13-all score. After Saddleback grabbed a short-lived three-point lead, back-to-back kills from sophomore outside Julia Balancier and freshman outside Vashti Elias-Romero put the Tigers up by one point. Elias-Romero followed with two more kills, backed by a hammer in the middle from sophomore middle Rozarya Barret to seal the opening-set victory.
The next two sets were dominated by the Tigers. As a team, Riverside held a hitting percentage of .294 or higher in the final two sets to prove their efficient prowess. They limited errors throughout the entire game as they never totaled over three in any set.
Elias-Romero paced the team with 14 kills leading to a .355 hitting percentage. She recorded 15 digs as well. It is the fourth time this season she has landed in double-digits in kills and digs.
Balancier was money on the offensive front with 12 kills to push her consecutive double-digit kill streak to five matches. She added nine digs and two block assists. Sophomore middle Madison Bogh and Barrett each hammered home four kills.
The net play was a strength for Riverside once again by tallying 14 total blocks. Barrett paced the squad with four, while sophomore Lauren Dunmore and sophomore Kiara Oregon totaled two.
The Tigers will face off against No. 1 Irvine Valley College on Friday, October 5 at 6 p.m. on home hardwood.