Rams volleyball dispatch Lobos for fourth straight win after hour delay

By Roxanne Bequio
Staff Writer

The City College Rams volleyball team were forced to wait for nearly an hour as the Monterey Peninsula College Lobos, made its way through traffic to reach City College, but wasted no time when defeating the Lobos in four games (25-17, 21-25, 25-18) on Oct. 17 at the Community Health and Wellness Center.

The Rams could have forced the Lobos to forfeit the whole match due to their tardiness, but chose to make them forfeit only the first game.

“We had a really big break. The delay breaks focus and can really hurt momentum,” Assistant Head Coach Aziza Bledsoe said. “That did not happen. I thought we played very well.”

A strong start earned the Rams 10 out of the first 13 points in the second game. Diving for every ball, the team forced the Lobos to numerous errors and took the set 25-17.

“We took control very early. We played very well,” said Bledsoe. “Game two was great.”

Monterey Peninsula picked up the pace during the third game. The Lobos took an early 7 point lead and Ram’s head coach Ed Parker called a time-out to calm his team down.

“There was a lot of miscommunication early on. We were frazzled,” said Bledsoe. “I basically told everyone to breathe. It happens.”

Both teams rallied back and forth. The score was close with the Rams trailing behind the Lobos, but they were held off at 25-21.

In the fourth set the Rams came out and took care of business. The team jumped to a 15-6 lead, this time forcing the Lobos to call a time-out to try and regroup.

The Rams came out of the timeout to finish the Lobos off at 25-18, clinching their fourth victory in a row.

“We took control early. That’s how we like to play,” said Bledsoe of the fourth set.
The Rams’ top performers Ramona Vae and Nina Camp brought the intensity needed to beat the Lobos, Bledsoe said.

“Off the court, we’re growing as a team. We’re getting to know each other better,” said Vae. “Communication is our bread and butter.”