2008 Woodie Awards
Volleyball wins 3 at Mesa
Vince Camfield
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Sports
In a bittersweet road trip last weekend for an out of conference tune-up tournament hosted by San Diego Mesa, the Vikings were defeated in four games, 22-27, 22-25, 25-16, and 23-25 in the opening round against Moorpark, marking their first loss of the season.
Yet, the Vikes showed some resiliency by going on to the consolation bracket and winning three straight matches, defeating San Bernadino Valley (3-0), Cerritos (3-2) and Bakersfield (3-2) respectively. An added bonus for the Vikes was to get an early glimpse of in-conference foe Cerritos. The Vikes ended up improving its record to 7-1 overall.
The tournament came on the heels of an impressive comeback win against Chaffey Wednesday, Sept. 17 when the Vikings rallied after falling behind 2-1, to win in five games.
Another bright spot for the Vikes was the emergence of sophomore outside hitter Maricris Lapaix and freshman setter Cashmere Santos.
"She [Lapaix] really turned it around for us this weekend, she was our go-to-hitter. She was on fire," said coach Suzie Witmer.
Lapaix ranks second on the team in kills with 143 after fellow sophomore and outside hitter Lacey Baker's 158.
"She's [Santos] done a great job serving and leading by example on the court," Witmer said. "She's always poised. Lately, she's been turning bad passes into great plays."
Santos leads the team in assists and ranks second in service aces with 13 to Baker's 16.
Because the tournament was at San Diego Mesa, the school that ended the Vikings' 2007 season, coaches and players were able to take notes on its upcoming opponent. Mesa will visit LBCC on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Small Gym for a rematch of last year's opening round playoff match.
"We definitely scouted them [Mesa]," Witmer said. "They're big, tall and aggressive. They only lost a few players from last year, they look better this year."
Revenge doesn't seem to be on Witmer's mind however. She said, "We're not thinking about last year, we just really want to beat them this year."
The Vikings are scheduled to open up South Coast Conference play at East L.A. on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m.
Yet, the Vikes showed some resiliency by going on to the consolation bracket and winning three straight matches, defeating San Bernadino Valley (3-0), Cerritos (3-2) and Bakersfield (3-2) respectively. An added bonus for the Vikes was to get an early glimpse of in-conference foe Cerritos. The Vikes ended up improving its record to 7-1 overall.
The tournament came on the heels of an impressive comeback win against Chaffey Wednesday, Sept. 17 when the Vikings rallied after falling behind 2-1, to win in five games.
Another bright spot for the Vikes was the emergence of sophomore outside hitter Maricris Lapaix and freshman setter Cashmere Santos.
"She [Lapaix] really turned it around for us this weekend, she was our go-to-hitter. She was on fire," said coach Suzie Witmer.
Lapaix ranks second on the team in kills with 143 after fellow sophomore and outside hitter Lacey Baker's 158.
"She's [Santos] done a great job serving and leading by example on the court," Witmer said. "She's always poised. Lately, she's been turning bad passes into great plays."
Santos leads the team in assists and ranks second in service aces with 13 to Baker's 16.
Because the tournament was at San Diego Mesa, the school that ended the Vikings' 2007 season, coaches and players were able to take notes on its upcoming opponent. Mesa will visit LBCC on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in the Small Gym for a rematch of last year's opening round playoff match.
"We definitely scouted them [Mesa]," Witmer said. "They're big, tall and aggressive. They only lost a few players from last year, they look better this year."
Revenge doesn't seem to be on Witmer's mind however. She said, "We're not thinking about last year, we just really want to beat them this year."
The Vikings are scheduled to open up South Coast Conference play at East L.A. on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m.
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