Volleyball served

Brahmas place second in the state

Editor @LuisAyala2323

The Pierce College women’s volleyball team’s season came to an unexpected second place finish last weekend after being swept by the Cabrillo College Seahawks in final match of the CCCAA State Championship.

The team was served its second loss of the season (25-21, 25-23, 25-20, 25-17) on Sunday, Dec. 6 at College of the Canyons.

Head coach for the Brahmas Nabil Mardini thought the team did not get comfortable in playing the way that they usually do.

“We didn’t have any momentum today at all and I think it had something to do with it. We were never in a grove like we’ve been all year and we picked the wrong day to be like this but that’s just the way it goes, that’s sports for you,” Mardini said.

Pierce went into the final match having won the two previous matches the day before only dropping one set to Foothill. While not having lost a match they advanced to the finals as they waited for the winners of the early games on Sunday.

The state finals were in a double elimination format meaning the teams would have to drop two matches to get eliminated, giving any team that loses one match a second chance.

Mardini isn’t a fan of the double elimination.

“I’ve never been a big fan of it, even though I’ve won three state titles doing the double elimination format. It’s going to go away eventually, they are gonna go to the single elimination. I’ve never really liked it, if you lose, you lose, there are no second chances that’s the way I look at it. I’ve won the suddendeath game and I’ve won two state titles without the sudden-death game so I’ve been on both ends of the benches,” Mardini said.

In the first set the Brahmas started off slow as Cabrillo continued to increase the lead halfway through the set. Late in the set Pierce was able to cut the lead down and make a run but would not be able to catch up to the Seahawks.

Pierce did not look like the team that had made it all the way to the State finals.

[See VOLLEYBALL, pg. 9]