Women's Volleyball: Marauders Outlast Owls In Heated Conference Matchup

Citrus Volleyball hosted Antelope Valley College for a Western State Conference South matchup on Wednesday night. The Marauders beat the Owls in 5 sets, 19-25, 25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 15-10.

The Owls got out to a great start in the match, going up early and maintaining the lead throughout the 1st set. The Owls easily closed out the game 25-19. But Antelope Valley seemed to be just getting started, as the Marauders came out in game 2 ready to strike. The visitors would establish the 1st lead of the 2nd set, but there would be 6 lead changes by the end of the set, making for some exciting volleyball. Antelope Valley took it 25-23. 

Game 3 was more of the same, with both teams battling back and forth, sideout for sideout. But midway through the set, the Marauders would pull away, going up by as many as 10 points and sealing the 3rd set 25-16. In game 4, the Owls seem refreshed and focused. At this point, both teams were firing on all cylinders and for all intents and purposes, and it was a dead heat until the owls capped it off 25-23 to force a 5th tiebreaker set.

The 5th set would be a different story, with the Marauders controlling the game from the beginning. Citrus would make a late run on a streak of unforced errors by Antelope Valley, but it was too little too late and the visitors drove back home the victors.

Libero Aaliyah Robles had a stellar defensive game, topping her season high for the 2nd straight match. The Freshman defensive captain dug up 22 balls, beating her season best of 21 just a few days before. Setter Vanessa Warren led the offense for the Owls, dishing out 38 assists and scooping up 10 digs to boot. Nia Nix posted 21 kills and 20 digs for a double double, and Summer Edington recorded 11 kills. 

The loss drops the Owls to 2-2 in conference and puts them squarely in the 4-spot behind Bakersfield, Canyons, and Antelope Valley. Overall Citrus is still upside down, with a 5-13 overall record. 

The ladies will look to the next conference game on Friday against College of the Canyons. The game will be played at Master's University at 7:00 PM.

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