Colton drops second league match in a row to Bloomington, 3-1
The Yellowjackets struggled to find their communication against the Bloomington Bruins in set four of this league match.
September 21, 2021
Colton, CA—After losing to Eisenhower in their Skyline league match last Friday night, the Lady Yellowjackets entered today’s match against the Bloomington Bruins with a sense of urgency. This urgency did not translate on the court, where miscommunication and self-defeating errors led to their second consecutive loss, 3-1.
“We beat ourselves,” Coach Sarah Vasquez said after the disappointing loss.
From the start, the Yellowjackets never looked focused. The Bruins, led by captains Lizette Rivas and Analei Ramirez, stayed aggressive all match, pounding the Yellowjackets with kill after kill. They took the first set 25-11.
In the second set, the Bruins picked up where they left off, with senior outside hitter Rivas picking up four monster kills on their way to a 25-16 win.
It looked like the Yellowjackets might be turning a corner in the third set. Behind the strong play of junior middle blocker Glory Mgbemere, with three of her team high five kills, the Yellowjackets fought back and stung the Bruins 25-15. With this decisive win, they looked like they had finally figured out the Bruin attack.
Turned out not to be the case, as the Yellowjackets went away quietly, dropping the fourth set 25-14.
Despite the loss, which puts the team at 1-2 in league play and 4-7 overall on the season, there were some notable performances. Besides Mgbemere, junior Jenifer Amaral racked up four aces on seven serving attempts. Senior setter Marissa Herrera added three aces, one kill, and three assists. And senior setter Desiree Ayala contributed six assists and five digs on no errors.
On Thursday, Colton heads across town to Grand Terrace to face off with the Titans on their home court. While it is a non-league match, the team will need to regroup against their district rival in preparation for the back half of their league schedule, which includes rematches against Arroyo Valley, Eisenhower, Bloomington, and their only match against San Gorgonio.
