(Prescott, AZ) The Pima Community College volleyball team played its final match of the 2022 season on Friday at Yavapai College (5-16, 3-10).
The Aztecs’ rally was cut short as they fell in four sets (25-12, 25-16, 19-25, 25-12).
The Roughriders put Pima in an early hole in the first set scoring seven straight points. The Aztecs rallied off the next four points to cut the deficit to three points at 9-6 but Yavapai held control and put the Aztecs behind by double digits late in the set.
With the score tied at 9-9 in the second set, the Roughriders scored five straight to take the lead. The Aztecs struggled to rally as they couldn’t convert more than two straight points in the set from that point on. Yavapai took a 2-0 advantage in the match.
The Aztecs held the lead for much of the third set. Leading 8-7, they broke the set open scoring 10 of the next 13 points to take an 18-10 advantage. They led by as much as 10 points at 21-11 after a block at the net by sophomore Emma Messerle (Buena HS). The Aztecs got a boost from sophomore Haley Duncan (Walden Grove HS), who had five kills in the set after she didn’t have any in the first two sets. Sophomore Deanna Almaguer had four kills in the third set.
The Aztecs couldn’t build off the momentum in the third set as they trailed for much of the fourth. The Aztecs trailed 12-8 but Yavapai went on to put down nine of the next 12 points to make it 21-11.
Sophomores Isabella Jacome and Jessica Bright-Schade (Safford HS) each produced double-doubles. Jacome finished the match with 32 assists, 11 digs, four kills and one ace while Bright-Schade had a team-high 12 kills along with 10 digs.
Freshman Morgan Hains (Canyon del Oro HS) had 28 digs and an ace.
Almaguer contributed with eight kills and two blocks while Duncan and Messerle each had six kills. Duncan also posted three blocks.
The Aztecs close out the season at 7-18 overall and 4-11 in ACCAC conference play.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Athletics – Raymond Suarez