Photo credit: Bobby R. Hester
Photo credit: Bobby R. Hester

Volleyball Earns Season’s First Win, Defeats Rio Hondo in Straight Sets

Strong net play and serve game carried the Riverside City College women's indoor volleyball team to a three set win against the Rio Hondo College Roadrunners at the Fullerton Classic on Friday afternoon.

The Tigers snapped a three-match skid to start off the season behind a pair of sophomores who manned the net with force.

Sophomores Keeley Hober and Miranda Gates teamed up to make things difficult for the Roadrunners as they combined for five total blocks, Gates being responsible for two solo stuffs.

Riverside minimized errors on both ends of the floor thus putting themselves in the driver's seat.

Offensively, Gates paced the squad with seven kills while Hober followed with six. They each carted a hitting percentage above .350.

Freshman Maggie Aburto lead the team in attempts (28) and fired home six kills. She added eight digs to go along with a pair of aces.

Freshman Ashley Elias-Romero shined on the backline by lofting up a team-high and season-high four aces while chipping in seven digs.  Freshman Mya Castro led the team in digs with nine total. She also had two assists to go along with an ace.

Freshman Chloe Christelman was responsible for the majority of the offensive flow as seen in nine assists. She found the hardwood for three aces and pocketed five digs to round out her showing.

Sophomores Hailey Gray and Molly Watson combined for an even 10 assists with Gray contributing seven of the total.

The Tigers rebounded to get the victory after falling to Mt. San Antonio in straight sets during game one. Aburto shined in the loss with nine kills and 11 digs, while Christelman lofted up 11 assists. Freshman Jessica Lepe hammered home six kills on 20 attempts and Hober earned three blocks.

Riverside (1-3) will return home for the first time in nearly two years to the host crosstown rival San Bernardino Valley College Wolverines on Wednesday, September 8 at 5 pm.

The spectator policy has not yet been established or approved by the Riverside City College District (RCCD). Please stay tuned to www.rccathletics.com for more information in the coming days.

Live streaming will be available on Riverside Athletics YouTube channel free of charge.