Rustlers Down Hawks in Three Sets

The Golden West College Rustlers women's volleyball team secured a hard-fought 3-0 sweep over the Santiago Canyon College Hawks in a conference match at home. The Rustlers, now 5-8 overall and 3-3 in conference play, edged the Hawks with set wins of 27-25, 25-13, and 25-23.

The opening set proved to be a nail-biter, as both teams traded points in an intense back-and-forth. The Rustlers showed resilience, staving off a set point and taking it 27-25. Building off that momentum, Golden West came out strong in the second set, using a combination of solid serving and consistent hitting to cruise to a 25-13 victory.

The third set saw the Hawks bounce back, keeping it close with a .189 hitting percentage. However, the Rustlers managed to pull away late, sealing the match with a 25-23 win.

Jenna Zaffino led the Rustlers with 10 kills and 9 digs, while setter Cassandra Zoellers ran the offense efficiently with 24 assists and 2 service aces. Strong contributions also came from Hayden Johnston, who tallied 6 kills, 3 block assists, and 10.5 total points, and Jalissa Costa, who chipped in with 7 kills.

The Rustlers' next match will provide another opportunity to continue their climb up the conference standings, while Santiago Canyon falls to 2-5 overall and 0-5 in conference play.