After close losses to both Bakersfield College and Santa Barbara Community College in the Bakersfield Quad Tournament by just one set, Mt. SAC bounced back strong in volleyball with a decisive win against Moorpark College on Sept. 1.

When the Mounties’ freshman squad faced the Moorpark College Raiders, they were facing an experienced team of sophomores. This was no problem, as the Mounties convincingly handed Moorpark their first loss of the season by sweeping them in three sets.

From here, the volleyball team went on a five game win streak.

The next scheduled game was the Fullerton College Tri-Tourney, where the Mounties were going to have to face two teams in one day: Fullerton College and Riverside Community College.

They looked confident throughout the first set though the set did end at a close 25-23 final score. Their confidence paid off in the next set where the Mounties took commanding control over the game with an impressive 25-9, before closing with another 25-23 victory in the final set. Outside Hitter Allison Whiteman led the team with 11 kills, while Setter Ally Euston led the team with 17 assists to help take the first game of the day.

After winning the first game, the Mounties seemed to face Fullerton College with a different relaxed demeanor in the second. The game was not as relaxing, starting out with a tough first set that forced overtime. The first set was highlighted by Outside Hitter Riley DeGroot who explosively scored 3 consecutive kills in the 26-24 win.

The second set was even harder, as the Mounties let Fullerton reach an 11-7 lead. The freshman squad fought back and did not let the lead grow as the score reached 23-19, but they ultimately dropped the set 25-19.

This would be a wakeup call.

Euston noticed that her team had been shaken up after dropping the set, so she gave the team a pep talk to motivate them all to win. This worked as Mt. SAC would respond by taking commanding control of the third and fourth sets to eventually take the win.

In the middle of a three-game winning streak, their next challengers would be College of the Desert.

With the Mounties being back at home in front of family and fans, they tackled the Roadrunners with a sharp level of confidence. Despite a rough start by letting the Roadrunners get out to a 10-7 lead in the first set, this did not discourage the Mounties as they came back to win the first set 25-20.

This first set was just a warmup where they were weighing out how the opponent would respond, as they began the second set with an aggressive 10-9 lead before eventually winning 25-19.

Then in the penultimate set, both colleges came out firing with constant back and forth rallies. This would end up with both teams being tied at 15, which left the Mounties no choice but to take control. Starting with a kill by Michelle Walters and then a service streak by Euston, this offensive outburst would give the Mounties a commanding lead and ultimately the game.

To power on and hopefully round out their streak to five wins in a row, they would take on the Warriors of El Camino College in their first conference game. The Warriors are a bit similar to the Mounties in that they also have a predominantly freshman squad, but they also have three experienced sophomores.

The Mounties came into this game looking serious.

The game started fast in the first set with the Mounties coming out with the lead for the majority of the game resulting in 17-14. The Warriors would respond by putting some pressure on the Mounties to push for 22-19, but Mt. SAC won the first set with 25-21.

The next set would be a whole different story for the Mounties. They looked far more relaxed, where their “first set jitters” were now subdued as they came out the gate red hot.

They took a commanding lead early on with 8-2. Then a long hustle saw both schools dive for every 50/50 ball, before the Mounties would command control of the second set and win it 25-13.

With their last set at hand, the Mounties were excited and ready. Mt. SAC and El Camino traded blows for most of the game until the final runs, where El Camino had trouble keeping up with the Mounties. This ultimately gave the Mounties the lead and eventually the win, where they had swept the Warriors for all three sets.

The win caps off a five game win streak for the Mounties and a dominant run from a team that did not have a season the year prior. Mt. SAC is sending a message to the rest of the colleges in the conference: The Mounties are not here to play, they are here to win.

The Mt. SAC Women’s Volleyball Team will be facing their next opponent, Compton College, on Sept. 15.