The LBCC women’s volleyball team was poised on the edge of history, just a few points away from beating Cypress in the second round of the CCCAA State Playoffs to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2001.
The Vikings led the match 2-0 and 19-14 in the third set, and after giving up that lead they led 10-4 in the fifth set. Those opportunities slipped away and the Vikings’ season ended in frustration with a 22-4 record.
“I don’t think we knew how to win,” said LBCC head coach Misty May-Treanor. “Sometimes it takes something like this happening to make a change.”
The Vikings’ first set was a thing of beauty as they hit .410 and blew Cypress away. In the second set they fell behind 22-17 before a 5-0 lead tied it, and they stole the frame 27-25. After taking the 19-14 lead in set three, fans looked to be in for a quick evening. But Cypress came back to deuce it at 24 then win the next two points.
Cypress went up big in the fourth set and led 24-15 before LBCC scored seven straight points to make it interesting. The Vikings rode that momentum into the fifth set and raced out to a 10-4 lead. But that was it for LBCC, as Cypress won the final 11 points and the match.
“It’s a lesson,” said May-Treanor. “Maybe it’s a wake up call.”
The Vikings were led by Tylie Johnson’s 24 kills, Levila Iosua’s 57 assists, and Lizbeth Lopez’s 25 digs.
