After two losses to start the 2020 season, the SBCC men’s volleyball team has found its rhythm.
The Vaqueros won their sixth straight contest Wednesday after sweeping L.A. Pierce inside the comfy confines of the Sports Pavilion. The set scores were 25-18, 25-12, 25-13.
“We started slow but it’s expected with January. Now, we’re in March and we’re picking things up. In those first two losses, we just weren’t disciplined and it really was nothing more than that,” SBCC’s Kyle Merchen said.
Merchan had a big game against the Brahams, dishing out a game-high 20 assists while also totaling three kills.
In the second set, after the Vaqueros won the opening point of the frame, Merchan went back to the service line. The freshman setter then rallied off four straight aces to give SBCC (6-2, 3-0) a commanding 5-0 lead to begin the set.
“I don’t think it’s about me. My coaches have done a good job working with me and my teammates. But, it’s all energy for me. If I feel the crowd and I feel my teammates supporting me, I know I’ll serve well,” Merchan said.
Merchan would finish with five, as the Vaqueros registered a season-high 15 service aces on Wednesday night.
“I think that’s definitely the first time we’ve been positive with service aces and so that is definitely nice. Being aggressive from the service line and putting pressure on teams is definitely something that we can do really well,” SBCC coach Jon Newton said.
SBCC rarely trailed in the contest, as L.A. Pierce, which has been on the down end the past couple of seasons, struggled to generate any offense, totaling only 11 kills over the final two sets while committing eight service errors and four attack errors.
“We come in and we want to get a sweep. We want to respect our opponent by killing them. We don’t want to come in here screwing around all night. That’s disrespectful to them and to our crowd and I felt we played great,” Merchan said.
As for Newton, the coach is also just happy that after a month of being on the road, SBCC will host six of its next seven contests, including Wednesday’s win.
“I mean it’s nice for me that I don’t have to drive through L.A. traffic few more games,” Newton said with a smile.
“But it’s definitely nice for everyone and we just want to keep building that momentum.”
email: Jmercado@newspress.com
