The 49ers volleyball team lost a tough match at home Wednesday night, Oct. 22, falling to San Joaquin Delta in three straight games: 23-30, 28-30, 24-30. Despite a great effort from the Yuba College team, Delta handed them their second loss of the season, dropping their record in the Bay Valley Conference to 3-2 (9-2 overall).
Without their best outside hitter, Crystal Haymore, who was missing due to illness, the 49ers had a hard time producing kills.
“We had to make major adjustments,” head coach Thea Post said. “Without a double-digit scorer like (Haymore), that’s 15 points less right there.”
Outside hitter Tanya Rosado helped Yuba pick up some extra points. She led the team in scoring with nine kills, and added two blocks and two assisted blocks. Katie Devaney and Lindsey Quail had seven kills each, and setter Alisa Korn had 30 assists on the night.
The 49ers kept it competitive throughout the match, managing some aggressive scoring runs to keep the Mustangs on their toes. However, the 49ers were under a relentless attack from the Delta offense that they failed to match.
In the first game, Delta took a seven-point lead at 13-20 until Yuba came back to within two at 24-26. Delta then took a time-out to reorganize and the 49ers were held scoreless the rest of the game, losing 24-30.
The second game was the most promising for Yuba. Although at first it was all Delta with seven straight points, making it 3-10, the 49ers fought back to tie the game at 14 and again at 18, before scoring a block to take the lead 19-18. The lead lasted only a moment, though, before the Mustangs again took charge. Yuba kept it within a three-point margin but ultimately lost the game 28-30.
The third game began with a seven-point scoring run for Delta from which the 49ers never fully recovered. The offense did pick up for Yuba, but it was too little, too late. Rosado, Devaney, and Quail began to capitalize on scoring opportunities from Korn’s passes, and the 49ers brought the score to within two at 24-26. But with that, it ended. Delta shut them out for the rest of the game, winning 24-30.
Post said that, despite Delta’s 97-game BVC winning streak, she thought they looked “very beatable.”
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