Pushed to a fifth set against Los Angeles Mission College in their home opener on Wednesday, the Cerritos College volleyball team was in prime position to come away with a win. After winning two of the first three sets, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, the Falcons (3-1) struggled with their attack at the net in the fourth and deciding fifth set. They saw the Eagles (7-0) post wins in those sets, 25-18 and 15-7 to hand Cerritos a loss in their home opener.

The team turns right around on Friday and will travel to Palomar College for a 5:00 p.m. non-conference match.

One of the biggest obsticles for the Falcons to overcome was LA Mission outside hitter Oluwatoyin Sunday, who slammed home 21 kills with just four errors and had 18 of her kills in the final three sets.

After dropping a close first set, Cerritos opened a 12-7 lead in the second set, but when they fell behind, 17-16, a six-point run allowed them to take a lead they would not give up. Consecutive kills by sophomore Sydney May (Los Alamitos HS/UC Santa Cruz) helped the Falcons cause, while sophomores Jasmine Soto-Castro (Schurr HS) and setter Leeya Rubio (Schurr HS) each added a kill. The winning point in the set was a service error by the Eagles.

A close third set turned into an 18-15 lead for LA Mission, with the Falcons calling timeout. Coming out of the break, sophomore Monserrat Rodriguez (Gahr HS/Long Beach City College) slammed home a kill, while a Rodriguez service ace drew the team even at 21-21. After both teams traded kills, Soto-Castro put the team in front, 23-22, with Cerritos earning their final two points on an attack error and service ace.

It was a close fourth set until the Falcons struggled at the net, with three attack errors and two service errors aiding LA Mission. However, trailing 22-13, Cerritos strung together five consecutive points to get to within 22-18, thanks in part to three attack errors and a kill from sophomore Brisa Cortez (Schurr HS). But the Eagles recorded the next three points to take the set.

They rode that momentum into the fifth set, as they opened a 9-3 lead on their way to a 15-7 game-winning set.

May led the team with 15 kills and dished out a team-high 24 assists, with Rodriguez adding 12 kills and 13 digs. Soto-Castro and sophomore Lillianna Peterson (California HS) each finished with nine kills. Rubio, who recorded two kills, also had 21 assists and eight digs.

Photos by Daryl Peterson