No. 5 Vaqueros rally past No. 7 Irvine Valley, 3-2

Keoni Thiim ripped 15 kills and hit .500 on Wednesday to spark No. 5 SBCC to a 3-2 comeback win at No. 7 Irvine Valley. The scores were 25-21, 21-25, 24-26, 25-20, 15-11.

The Vaqueros (2-2) went on a 4-1 run to lead 8-6 at the side switch in the fifth set. They scored two straight to take a 13-11 advantage and Brigg Busenhart capped the marathon victory with a deep ace down the middle.

Calvin Sanborn added eight kills for SBCC and setter Kyle Merchen had seven kills in 11 attempts for a .545 percentage. He also dished out a season-high 37 assists. Carson Schmick had a season-best 11 digs.

"Brigg did a great job off the bench, settling in and being consistent," said Vaquero coach Jon Newton. "Kyle ran a good offense, getting everyone involved and being aggressive at the net."

Six of the eight Vaqueros had five or more kills. Zac Pittard and Bradley Kleven both had five kills with Pittard notching six blocks. Kleven, the 6-foot-5 quarterback on the football team, had a near-perfect night with five kills in six swings for an .833 hitting percentage.

The Vaqueros will travel to Fullerton next Wednesday, then open their 12-game Western State Conference schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at home vs. Moorpark at 6 p.m.