Pisula guides No. 6 Vaqueros to 12th straight win

Kiana Pisula played her "quarterback" role to perfection on Friday night, leading No. 6 SBCC to a 3-1 women's volleyball victory over Citrus in the Sports Pavilion.

Pisula, a 5-9 sophomore setter from Sonora, Calif., had 34 assists and eight digs in the 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19 triumph. It was the 12th straight win for the sixth-ranked Vaqueros, who are 14-4 and haven't lost since Sept. 2.

Citrus (13-9) lost for just the second time in 11 matches.

"We've got to give props to Kiana," said coach Ed Gover. "It's easy to look at the hitters and see who leads us in kills. The reason those hitters are getting all the kills is because of the good sets from Kiana. You have to reward the setter for all the work she does."

Kaylene Ureno led the hitters with 19 kills and a .359 hitting percentage. Carolyn Andrulis had 11 kills and 10 digs. Karissa Mertens added six kills, five aces and seven digs. Libero Avery Mulvey recorded a team-high 16 digs.

The Vaqueros broke open a tight first set with a 10-3 burst that gave them a 20-11 advantage. Ketty Totemeier capped the 25-17 triumph on a backset from Pisula.

Citrus took control of the second set, going on a 12-4 run that produced a 17-11 lead. The third set was close at 18-17, then the Vaqueros closed with a 7-1 run capped by an Andrulis kill and a Ureno kill to the back left corner.

The fourth set was filled with runs. The Vaqueros went ahead 10-3 on a block by Pisula and McKenzie Garrison. Then the Owls went on an 11-4 run to tie it at 14. A block by Ureno and Trocki, followed by an ace from Mertens ignited a 7-0 run. Mertens capped that outburst with back-to-back aces for a 21-14 advantage.

"We came out pretty well at first," said Mertens, a sophomore outside hitter from Dos Pueblos High. "Our passing was a little bit off. Once we finally got into the game and had some good energy, we picked things up."

The Vaqueros hit .344 and .394 in the first and third sets. They hit .242 for the match.

"It was a see-saw battle," said Gover. "We made some great runs and then we gave up some big runs. That's how volleyball is. We have to make our pushes when we need them and it was great to see us end their momentum at the right times."

The Vaqueros have won five straight WSC North titles and are 51-3 during that time. They open conference play on Friday at Ventura with the first serve at 6 p.m.