Courtesy of Pima Athletics
(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College volleyball season (16-15) came to an end on Saturday at South Mountain Community College.
The No. 4 seeded Aztecs fell to No. 1 South Mountain Community College in straight sets 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 in the NJCAA Region I, Division II championship round.
This is the second straight time the Aztecs have earned the runner-up plaque at the Region tournament. Their last appearance was in 2015.
“The theme of this team was one of resilience. We used that word a lot, in the locker room and trying to be successful,” Pima volleyball coach Dan Bithell said. “This team has been tested more than any other team I’ve had and they really figured out how to overcome obstacles to play some of their best volleyball.”
Bithell said the team came into Friday’s matches loose and with a “nothing to lose” attitude especially against Glendale Community College, who the Aztecs lost to twice during the season.
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“They (Glendale) beat us down at their place and I know a few of the girls used that for fuel. The sting of that loss; they felt they had something to prove,” Bithell said. “The momentum from the Mesa match carried over. This team is pretty detail oriented, they made good adjustments.”
The Aztecs closed the season at 16-15 overall. They had only three sophomores on this year’s squad.
“What’s exciting to me is hearing the girls say, ‘this isn’t going to happen next year, we’ll be more discipline.’ To me that’s the best thing.”
