Vaqueros top Citrus 3-1 in Regional opener

Madison Waddell had 14 kills and Jenna Anderson had a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs on Tuesday night as SBCC opened the Southern Cal Regional women's volleyball playoffs with a 3-1 win over Citrus. The scores were 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15.

It was the 11th straight win for the No. 4-seeded Vaqueros (18-7). No. 13 Citrus, which finishes at 14-10, got a match-high 21 kills from Danielle Hundley.

"It was a really good game, I liked the energy," said Waddell. "It was definitely a battle, we were so close. We pulled through and got sideouts when we needed them.

"Conference was a little bit slow and coming to the playoffs, we were so excited and energized. It's do-or-die in the playoffs and if you lose, you go home. The energy was way higher tonight."

The Vaqueros will host No. 12 Pasadena, which went to No. 5 San Diego Mesa and surprised the Olympians 3-0, on Saturday. The second-round match is set for 6 p.m.

Waddell hit .343 and Anderson finished at .333 to go along with three ace serves. Jasmine Ward added 11 kills, including the match-clincher to the back line. Taylor Badois had five kills and eight blocks, including two solo.

Olenka Tuleja had 13 digs, libero Eryn Young 12 and setter Madelon Leiphardt, a freshman from Dos Pueblos High, had eight.

"Madelon moves the ball around so well and she's able to find our hitters in open spots," said coach Ed Gover. "And Ari Garner was great tonight, coming in and making some great passes late in the match."

There were 13 ties in the first set before the Vaqueros pulled away late on two kills by Waddell and an ace and kill from Anderson. The second set was equally tight with the Vaqueros leading by three on a few occasions. They won the set with a 6-2 closing run.

The Owls overcame a late three-point deficit in the third set and won it with a 9-3 closing burst that produced a 25-22 win.

SBCC bolted to leads of 5-1, 7-2 and 14-7 in the third set. After Citrus cut the lead to six points, Waddell reeled off three straight kills to make it 20-11.

"In the playoffs, every team is good and Citrus had quite a few weapons," said Gover. "Their No. 6 had 21 kills and we pretty much couldn't stop her. When she got in the back row, we tended to score more points, so we had to be patient as she went through the front.

"Our patience level was high today."