Giants Volleyball Rolls Through Lemoore and Merced, Extends Streak to Five 

The College of the Sequoias women's volleyball team remained hot in Central Valley Conference action this past week, posting two more sweeps on the road to extend its win streak to five. With victories at Lemoore and Merced, the Giants improved to 18-3 overall and 3-1 in CVC-South play, continuing to assert themselves as one of the region's top teams. 

COS 3, Lemoore 0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-21) – October 15 | Lemoore, CA

The Giants wasted no time against the Golden Eagles, finishing with 44 kills as a team and controlling the tempo throughout. Freshman middle blocker Leilani Smith was dominant at the net with 11 kills for a .714 hitting percentage and added 3 block assists. Mariainez Lopez (Dinuba HS) tallied 9 kills, 12 digs, and 3 blocks of her own, while Trinity Tavita chipped in 6 kills and a pair of service aces. 

Setter Molly Forehan directed the attack with 16 assists and 2 aces, as fellow setter Nathalie Rankin also added 16 assists. Sophomore libero Allison Wood (Immanuel HS) anchored the back row with 14 digs. COS controlled every facet of the match. 

"We came out really sharp and played with great rhythm from the start," said Head Coach Kim Rix. "Our setters did a great job spreading the ball around, and our hitters were efficient." 

COS 3, Merced 0 (25-11, 25-19, 26-24) – October 17 | Merced, CA 

On Friday, the Giants kept the pressure on by sweeping Merced in straight sets. Trinity Tavita delivered a match-high 12 kills, while Ai-Lani Hunter (Central East HS) posted 9 kills and hit .533 to help fuel the offense. Lopez added 8 kills and 8 digs, and Leilani Smith contributed another 4 kills and 2 aces in the effort. 

Forehan racked up 19 assists and a service ace, while freshman setter Rankin added 14 assists of her own. Freshman defensive specialist Gabriella Rodriguez (Tulare Union HS) paced the defense with 15 digs and Tatiana Quinones (Monache HS) also added 9 digs. The Giants again owned the net, tallying 16 block assists and outdigging the Blue Devils 57-28. 

"Merced really made us work for that one, especially in the third set," Rix said. "I was proud of how we stayed composed and executed when it mattered most. Our defense came up big, and we showed a lot of maturity closing it out." 

Upcoming Matches 

College of the Sequoias will look to keep its momentum rolling as it returns home on Wednesday, October 22 to face perennial conference contender Fresno City College at 6:00 p.m. inside Porter Field House. The Giants will then travel to Clovis Community College on Friday, October 24 for another 6:00 p.m. matchup, continuing a pivotal stretch of CVC play.