Bakersfield, CA – In front of the largest crowd the Gil Bishop Sports Center has seen since pre-covid days, the Bakersfield College women's volleyball team did not disappoint. The Renegades punched their ticket to advance to state defeating the visiting Orange Coast Pirates, 3-0.
OCC got on the board first, but BC jumped out of the gates and led 8-3 before the first timeout was called by the Pirates in the first set. Orange Coast was not comfortable with their lead and turned the game around by taking its lead back going on a 5-1 run at 15-13. OCC continued to extend their lead until Bakersfield tied the game at 20. It would be middle blocker Tia Jules with the kill to give the Gades back their lead (21-20) and take the first set, 25-23.
Into the second set freshman Samantha Smith served five in a row with two aces to force the Pirates to a timeout. BC added one more point before OCC would get their first point (6-1). Freshman Nattelynn Burns served up five more and stretched Bakersfield's lead to 11-1. Orange Coast only added four more points before calling for another timeout (18-5). Fortunately for the Renegades, OCC continued to struggle and handed BC the second set, 25-12.
Both teams went point for point in the third set. The Pirates took their largest lead of the night at 12-8. BC managed to muscle through and tie the game at 13 points, but OCC wasn't going to let their lead go without a fight and grabbed ahold of their lead once more (15-13). The final set would tie for the final time at 18 and Bakersfield would win, 25-20.
The Renegades had 9 aces with 5 of them coming from Smith. Sophomore Aly Dees and Jules ended the night with 13 kills while Meagan Williams had 17 digs.
With the win, the Gades will move onto state playoffs in Fresno and play their first game at 10:00AM on Friday, December 3rd against the #4 team in the north. More information to come next week.
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