Vaqueros sweep Santa Monica for first WSC win

Trent Lingruen, Blake Lockhart and Zac Pittard combined to hit .528 with just three errors on Friday night as No. 6 SBCC swept past No. 10 Santa Monica 25-20, 25-13, 25-18 for its first WSC men's volleyball win and first home triumph.

Lingruen, a 6-3 freshman from Tahoe City, had 10 kills and hit .571 in the 67-minute match. Lockhart and Calvin Sanborn added seven kills apiece and Pittard, a 6-7 freshman from Santa Monica High, had five kills. Lockhart hit .545 and Pittard registered a .455 clip with no errors.

The Vaqueros improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the WSC. The Corsairs are 1-5 and 0-1.

The first set was the closest of the three with Santa Barbara taking leads of 9-5 and 15-10 on back-to-back aces by setter Aaron Letvin. The Corsairs closed the gap to two at 18-16, then the Vaqueros went on a 5-2 run and took a 23-18 lead on a kill to the back right corner by Sanborn. A kill by Austin Lind and another ace from Letvin capped the 25-20 victory.

"We were able to keep it more on our side," said Sanborn. "We were able to serve efficiently and we played as a team. We got some guys eligible in the last few matches and they bring a lot to the table."

The Vaqueros posted their second-highest hitting percentage of the year (.413) and they moved up to third in the state with a .295 season percentage.

Letvin had four aces and Lingruen added three. Justin Eitner led in digs with eight, including a couple of spectacular ones on ripped spikes during one rally in the third set. The Vaqueros led 9-5 and 18-9 in the second set and 6-2, 10-3 and and 17-12 in the third.

"We were really aggressive and we focused on defense to allow ourselves to be good on offense," said third-year coach Jon Newton. "We played good steady volleyball and took care of business."

Peyton Raab played setter in the third game and had eight assists. Cameron Clouse, a 6-6 middle blocker, came in late in the third game and finished with a flurry, recording a kill, a block and a kill to complete the 25-18 win.

The Vaqueros had 12 aces and 16 service errors.

"That's a pretty good serve ratio, 3 to 4," stated Newton. "Once we got past the first game and kind of figured out what was on the other side of the net, we got confidence and rhythm. When we're in rhythm, we're pretty fun to watch."

Santa Barbara continues a three-game homestand on Wednesday when defending state champion L.A. Pierce comes to the Sports Pavilion for a 6 p.m. match.