Pirate Volleyball Knocks of Allan Hancock in Five

Traveling to Santa Maria, the Ventura College women's volleyball team was pushed to the max but were able to claim a five set victory 28-26 25-27 25-21 25-27 15-10 over Allan Hancock College. Armonee Hunter had a huge game offensively for the Pirates with 21 kills. Brittney Mukhar and Paris Dosch both had double digit kills. Jaimelene Salgado had 47 assists and 15 digs in the win.

Needing a win to stay in the thick of the playoff race, So Cal No. 13-ranked Ventura (17-6, 6-4) faced a resurgent Hancock team who tested the Pirates resolve. With matches against two of the top four teams in the conference ahead the win against the Bulldogs was vital. 

In the first set, the Pirates were able to squeak out a win, but needed extra points to finally put away AHC. Yet, the Bulldogs responded and claimed the second set of the match to even the score. Ventura however, was able to put some distance between themselves and Hancock with a four-point win in the third set of the match. With VC a win away from a victory, both teams again needed extra points to finish the fourth set with Bulldogs holding off the Pirates. A fifth and decisive set was necessary and Ventura was able to squeeze out a five point victory to claim the match 3-2.

Ventura collected nine service aces in the five sets with Salgado, Dosch and Mikayla Spears each picking up two. Cassandra Lacanilao collected 45 digs in the match to pace the Pirates defense while four other VC players had double digit digs. Mukhar had 17, Salgado had 15, Spears had 11 and Tori Hiott recorded 13 digs. 

The win sets up two very important upcoming matches for the Pirates. On Wednesday Nov. 11 Ventura will travel to Moorpark for a 6:00 pm match. The Pirates will close out the regular season with a 7:00 pm home match on Friday Nov. 13 against Santa Barbara City College.