The Fullerton College volleyball team picked up three big wins this weekend against Ventura College, Santa Barbara City College and Santa Monica College. All of the games were played at SBCC.
The Hornets picked up a 3-0 sweep over Ventura, and then beat fourth ranked SBCC 3-1 before also sweeping Santa Monica. The team is now 7-0 and will have a target on their backs heading into conference play, which begins October 4, at Cypress.
The Hornets were led by the offensive attack of Madeline Barrett and Alanna Hayhurst. Barrett had 41 kills in the three games, and Hayhurst had 29. Sophomore captain Celeste Snider also set the tone with 51 digs in the three games.
“Our depth helps us in so many ways,” said Rapp. “We have great players practicing against great players in practice. It is always competitive, and when we get to games, we have a lot of options.”
The Hornets were ranked 21 in the most recent poll from September 17.
“We were all a little nervous going in to play a team like that,” said freshman middle blocker Kelsey Smith. “When we won, especially the way we did, it gave us a lot of confidence. It should help us a lot going forward.”
The team does not play again before their conference opener on October 4, which gives them a two week break. Even though they have time off, the team is not looking at it as a vacation.
“We need to not look at this break as time off,” Smith said. “We need to take this time to practice hard and get even more familiar with each others’ playing styles.”
“This is a great opportunity for us to get some great practice in,” added libero Celeste Snider. “We need to get back to basics and address some needs offensively and defensively.”
The Orange Empire Conference is regarded as the toughest conference in the state.
“I definitely think we have what it takes to do well in conference and make it to state,” Smith said. “If we keep doing what we are doing, and practicing hard, we will continue to win.
The Lady Hornets know that the first game in conference is very important.
“It is very important to get a win, and start looking forward to a conference run,” said Rapp. “Only time will tell how far this team will go.”
The team does not want to start looking too far into the future, but they believe that they have a team that potentially can make a pretty deep run.
“I was on the team last year,” said Snider. “I know we are in a tough conference, but I also know that this team is very skilled and knowledgable. We just need to play like I know we can.
