Tigers Take Orange Coast to Five Sets, but Lose, 3-2

RIVERSIDE -- Taking an opponent to five sets for only the third time all season, and second occurence in the last three matches, the Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's volleyball squad was on the short end of a 3-2 Orange Empire Conference (OEC) decision against the Orange Coast College (OCC) Pirates at historic Arthur N. Wheelock Gymnasium Wednesday evening (Nov. 12).

Orange Coast (13-5, 7-5 OEC) won by the set scores of 17-25, 25-15, 25-22, 21-25, 15-10.

Frosh outside hitter Danyelle Brown (Tustin HS) paced the Pirates with a match-high 18 kills. Sophomore setter Danielle Boyette (Los Osos HS) dished out a match-high 47 set assists and sophomore libero Carina Perez (Foothill HS) had a match-high 29 digs.

Riverside (7-15, 3-9 OEC) was co-led in kills by sophomore outside hitter Naomi Tilford (Vista / Vista '11 / San Diego Mesa CC) and Sheyenne Reyes with 12 kills each. Frosh setter Melissa Moe (Riverside / Poly '14) had a team-high 24 set assists and sophomore libero Hannah Lockhart (Moreno Valley / Calvary Chapel HS) had a team-high 23 digs.

It was one of the Tigers' better matches of the season against a ranked opponent.

In the first set, RCC was the benefactor of 12 OCC attack errors. Lockhart logged ten digs to aid the Tigers' cause. The second set saw the Pirates get 12 kills and only two attack errors as Tilford and Reyes had four kills each for RCC.

The third set saw Brown hammer home five kills in addition to the seven she had in the first set. Tilford added three kills in the fourth set to help the Tigers get even.

The fifth set saw OCC jump out to a 4-0 lead on three kills and a RCC attack error and was never headed.

Both teams return to action on Friday, Nov. 14, in a pair of 6 p.m. first services. RCC will be at Fullerton, while OCC will be at Irvine Valley.

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