Cats win sixth straight

The Saddleback women's volleyball team defeated Irvine Valley College, 3-1, on Friday night inside the gymnasium.  It was the sixth straight win for the Bobcats, who remain in a tie for first place in the Orange Empire Conference.

Saddleback and Irvine Valley battled closely throughout as IVC had upset on its minds after a recent surge that put them above .500 in conference play entering the match.  The inter-district rivals battled hard, but it was the Bobcats that proved to have too much size and depth for the Lasers.

Every set was tight, with Saddleback winning 25-23, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-22.  The Bobcats had a great performance from Delaney Wilson and Cori Willcoxson, who combined for 33 kills on 75 attempts.  Meg Gardner chipped in with 17 kills while Lulu Utterback had nine.

Sophie Vienna continued to be an assist machine, dishing out 53 assists for the match.  Vienna now has 707 assists for the year and is second in the state with 10.55-per-match. 

Saddleback was stellar on defense with four players finishing in double-digits in digs.  Brynn Craig-Kromm and Cori Willcoxson led the way with 17 apiece. 

Saddleback is now 16-4 overall and 12-1 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Bobcats are tied atop the OEC standings with Orange Coast College with three matches remaining. 

Saddleback will host Riverside City College (15-8, 9-4) on Wednesday night inside the gymnasium at 6:00 PM.