BC volleyball splits doubleheader to open season

Aug. 27—For the first time since Nov. 21, 2017, a foe came into the Gil Bishop Sports Center and beat Bakersfield College in volleyball. Just three hours later, the Renegades started a new winning streak.

BC emerged from its opening day of the 2022 season with a 3-1 loss to Mt. San Antonio College and a 3-1 win over Long Beach City College on Saturday.

"Mt. SAC's a very, very good team, very experienced, nine returners," BC coach Carl Ferreira said. "So I knew they were going to be a tough opponent. But I thought we battled, I thought we were trying to find ways to play on the go."

Returning Renegades Tia Jules and Kami Marion kept up their attacking pace from last season, while freshmen Monet Panther and Alexandra Johnson helped lock down the win against LBCC.

BC has plenty more tough nonconference matchups coming up, beginning next weekend against San Diego Mesa, which swept the Renegades last year.

"I think the harder the matches you play, the more you can learn about yourself," Ferreira said.

Mt. SAC 3, BC 1

BC never fell completely out of contention in any set, but the Mounties' sheer attacking power combined with several series of Renegade miscues were enough to get the win for Mt. SAC.

Mt. SAC 25, BC 17

BC's season began on an inauspicious note when Allison Whiteman blocked Aubree Dees, and Dees landed awkwardly on her leg and limped off the court. She did not return.

"We talked yesterday about making sure we're prepared for all these scenarios," Ferreira said. "Well, that's the one we didn't prepare for."

Mt. SAC jumped out to an 8-2 lead thanks to a series of three attack errors that forced a timeout from Ferreira. The set continued apace until BC went on a 4-0 run late to narrow its deficit to 22-15.

That string of points included the first two aces of the day from the freshman Johnson, who racked up 17 in the two matches combined.

The Mounties used Victoria Arnold's first and second kills of the game to close out the set.

BC 25, Mt. SAC 22

BC went on an emphatic 7-2 run to end the set and even the tally at 1-1.

Riley DeGroot had five kills for the Mounties and helped them take a 6-4 lead early, but with Johnson serving, the Renegades got five straight points to take their biggest lead yet.

Mt. SAC promptly rallied to take it back at 15-14. BC's offense went cold for a long stretch until a well-placed attack by Robertson tied the game at 20-20. DeGroot and Marion traded points, then Haley Tedrow put one home left-handed from the right side to force a Mt. SAC timeout.

That failed to stem the tide, and BC won 25-22.

Mt. SAC 25, BC 20

Good defense at the net helped the Renegades keep pace, but BC ran out of gas late.

With the Renegades trailing 14-10, Robertson put one away for a BC point. That was the Renegades' last kill until the score reached 22-15. Between a double hit, a violation and an ace by Riannel Arevalo, the Renegades saw their chances at a second straight set slip away.

Makena Knapp came alive for three kills late from her middle spot, but Mt. SAC outside hitter Angelina Burton added two of her own late and a service error from Marion provided the final point for the Mounties.

Mt. SAC 25, BC 18

Mt. SAC went on a mid-game rally, a 7-1 stretch to take a 10-6 lead in which BC's serve receive and passing faltered. The Mounties never relinquished their advantage.

The setter Panther helped sustain her team's chances with two dumps over the net to cut the Renegades' deficit to 18-15 late. But following a BC timeout, the Mounties responded with back-to-back aces from DeGroot, the nail in the coffin for the Renegades as Mt. SAC took the win.

BC 3, LBCC 1

With both teams trying to rally after a morning loss, BC prevailed. The Renegades were streaky and blew a lead in the second set, but locked down when it counted in the decisive fourth.

"Really impressed that we came back after the first one (against Mt. SAC) and (were) able to put a better performance execution-wise," Ferreira said. "And for us, that's priority number one."

BC 25, LBCC 17

Johnson picked up where she left off, using three aces to spark a run of seven straight points that helped BC grab a big lead early.

The Renegades ran their margin as high as nine points, at 20-11, before relying on several errors from the Vikings to claim victory as their own attack slowed down.

LBCC 25, BC 20

The Vikings' offense, which appeared disjointed for the first set and a half, came alive for 8-1 and 8-3 runs late to take back the lead from BC, led by outside hitters Danika Iosua and Caleyse Saunders.

Marion had back-to-back kills to prompt a timeout late, but Long Beach didn't look back from there. Iosua had one kill to punctuate a long rally, and Saunders tallied three more before the set was up. It ended in anticlimactic fashion on a pair of BC attack errors.

BC 25, LBCC 17

This set featured more momentum swings than any other on the day.

With Panther serving early, BC posted nine straight points — including three aces by the freshman herself — to build a commanding lead and burn two Viking timeouts.

That lead evaporated completely when the Vikings started swinging. Ten Long Beach points in a row came on kills to tie the game at 16.

And then, without a Ferreira timeout, BC flipped a switch. Johnson accounted for six of BC's final nine points — three kills, three aces — as the Renegades took it 25-17.

BC 25, LBCC 15

Saunders, Iosua and the rest were stymied at the net this time around, as Panther and Jules combined for multiple key blocks and the Vikings' offense collapsed late.

Marion found her groove in the day's final set, picking up five of her nine kills for this match, including two of the Renegades' final three points. Long Beach led 7-5 before three consecutive attack errors helped spark a 7-0 run for BC.

Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.