(Tucson, AZ). The Pima Community College volleyball team (9-12, 5-5 in ACCAC) evened out its ACCAC conference record on Friday after it hosted Phoenix College (5-18, 2-8) at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium.
The Aztecs defeated the Bears in straight sets 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 to close out their regular season home schedule. The Aztecs have two more road matches left in the regular season.
The Aztecs broke an early tie in the first set with six straight points as Pima took advantage of Phoenix’s miscues. Sophomores Maggie McReynolds (Mountain View HS) and Julia Baird had kills while freshman Julia Ford (Catalina Foothills HS) capped the run with an ace to make it 10-4. The Aztecs led 13-9 and freshman Alexia Hutchens (Salpointe Catholic HS) and sophomore Ava Harrelson-Cybulski scored the next six points for Pima with three kills each. Baird’s ace gave Pima their biggest lead of the set at 21-13 as they took a 1-0 lead.
Pima trailed early in the second set but scored seven of the next eight points to take a 11-7 lead. Sophomore Kendall Snyder (Canyon del Oro HS) started the rally with a block and two straight kills. Sophomore Julia Weatherbie (Mountain View HS) stunned the defense with her point and McReynolds put one down to cap the run. The Bears kept it close and tied it at 14-14 but the Aztecs countered with Baird, who had two straight kills to make it 17-14. Snyder gave the Aztecs their biggest lead of the set after her kill put the score at 21-16. The Bears cut the deficit to two points but could not get any closer. The Aztecs led 2-0.
The third set featured seven ties. Pima trailed 12-8 but had five straight points to take the lead at 13-12. The teams continued to go back and forth as the Bears took another two point advantage at 17-15 but the Aztecs rallied again with another four straight. Harrelson-Cybulski had a kill, Ford had an ace to tie it and Reynolds had another kill. Baird took over as she scored five straight Pima points. She had a block to make it 19-17, two kills and two aces to help them maintain their lead. The Bears tied it at 23-23 with three straight points but the Aztecs secured the final two points to win it.
Baird closed out the match with 10 kills, three blocks and three aces while McReynolds and Hutchens each had eight kills. Harrelson-Cybulski added seven kills.
Weatherbie finished with 31 assists and three kills and Ford posted 10 digs and two aces. Snyder contributed with four kills, six digs and two blocks.
The Aztecs will play at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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