Tigers Drop Two in Season Opener

It was not the outcome the Riverside City College women's indoor volleyball squad had drawn up, but limited action on the court leading into a pair of non-conference matches to start the season contributed to the Tigers dropping two games at the Mt. San Jacinto Trio Wednesday night.

Match One
RCC 0, MSJC 3

Riverside was haunted by errors and could not get much going offensively. A .036 hitting percentage, 18 offenisve errors, and 21 defensive errors led to a 9-25, 17-25, 16-25 defeat.

Sophomore outside hitter Miranda Gates paced the Tigers with six kills on 13 attempts to equal a .385 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Maggie Aburto matched Gates' kill tally with six, while freshman outside hitter Jessica Lepe backed the tandem with four kills on 19 attempts.

Sophomore middle blocker Keeley Hober had a strong day as she was responsible for a team-high 6.5 points. She recorded two solo blocks and three block assist while hammering home three kills.

A trio of setters contributed to the offense with freshman Chloe Christelman leading the way. She recorded a team-high nine assists. Sophomore Molly Watson followed with seven assists and three digs, while sophomore Hailey Gray chipped in five assists and a service ace.

Match Two
SD Mesa 3, RCC 0

The Tigers rebounded from a sub-par offensive showing in game one to string together an improved offense showing despite the three set loss by the final scores of 18-25, 9-25, 18-25.

Freshman outside hitter Rachel Harris paved the way with a team-high seven kills on 19 attempts, while Aburto followed with six kills on a team-high 22 attempts. Alburto made waves on the defensive front by notching a team-pacing 10 digs as well.

Christelman was the primary facilitator again as she lofted up eight assists, while Gray followed with six. Watson backed the pair with four assists.

Riverside minimized their errors in the second contest significantly by only committing nine on the offensive end.

RCC (0-2) will return to action on Friday, September 3 at the Fullerton College Trio. They will face off against Mt. San Antonio at 1 pm followed by Rio Hondo at 3 pm.