Volleyball continues early season slump, loses to Perris 3-1

“We are our own biggest opponent,” says captain Leslie Venegas about team’s recent struggles on the court

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J. Dollins

Alyssa Gonzalez and Jayda Porter jump at the net during the first set against Perris.

Colton, CA—The Yellowjackets have been in a slump lately. Last night they were served up their second loss of the week at the hands of the 0-2 Perris High Panthers, 3 sets to 1 (25-17, 25-13, 20-25, 15-25). 

Leslie Venegas led with 20 attacks and 3 kills, with Grace Osueke adding 18 and 3. Justeen Robledo and Jennifer Amaral contributed 10 digs each. 

The entire match was a rollercoaster of emotions for Colton’s players. 

The Yellowjackets started slowly in the first set, but came back and finished strong behind a cheering section consisting of their friends on the football and basketball teams. This sparked a high energy attack, and Colton finished the set with a 25-17 victory.

Everything fell apart afterwards for the Yellowjackets. Perris dominated the second set, most of their points coming off Colton errors. Leslie Venegas spent most the set resting on the bench, and when she returned, she led her teammates on a five-point run, but it wasn’t enough, and Colton dropped the set 25-13.

The third and fourth sets were also struggles for the Yellowjackets, which they also lost 25-20 and 25-15.

“We started off strong and then I don’t know what happened after that,” said Venegas. “At the end of the day, we are our own biggest opponents and we definitely could’ve shown a lot more effort and did better.”

The team should be back and ready to play for tonight’s away game at Canyon Springs High School.