Colton, CA—It has been a rough few days for the Yellowjackets volleyball team. After their victory over Pacific on Aug. 13, they lost the next two against Ramona and Banning.
However, with these losses comes experience and hope.
After the 3-2 five set loss against Ramona on Aug. 14, head coach Blanca Ascencio was proud of the strides the team has been making this season. “I think they did great, especially since Ramona is a bit higher in terms of ranking.”
The match against Ramona started strong, with Colton jumping out to a two set lead with a 25-18 victory in the first set and a 25-17 win in the second. However, Ramona fought back, winning both the third and fourth sets.
The fourth set was particularly contested, as the two teams went point-for-point down the stretch. Ramona eked out a 28-26 victory, pushing the match to a decisive game five. Let down and wiped out, Colton lost the final set, and the match.
“I’m really proud of them,” said Ascencio. “Not the outcome, but definitely of my players.”
Against Banning, a similar pattern emerged. Colton jumped on the Broncos in the first set, with a strong 25-17 win. Inconsistency and over-shooting on attacks hurt the Yellowjackets as they dropped the second set. From there, Banning won the match with close wins in the third and fourth sets.
“We were all tired,” said senior Haley Barrera. “I think after school just really hit us, but we could have improved.”
Senior Violet Palma agreed with her teammate. “I think from losses you learn how to improve. This is a new team, so I think today was just a learning point for us, and learning what we need to work on.”
Coach Ascencio knows what they need to work on. “They need to work on their closing,” she said. “The girls get too confident and lose focus.”
Colton is now 1-3 overall this season. They play Chaffey on Thursday, Aug. 21 at home in the Hubbs Gym. Game time for JV is 4 p.m.; varsity begins at 5:15 p.m.
Note: JV is 2-2 on the season after losing to Ramona 0-2 and defeating Banning 2-0.