Giants Volleyball Splits Road Set, Rebounds Strong Against Porterville 

The College of the Sequoias women's volleyball team bounced back following a tough road loss at Taft, sweeping Porterville College in straight sets to close out their two-match week in Central Valley Conference play. With the 1-1 split, the Giants improved to 21-9 overall and 5-2 in CVC-South action. 

Taft 3, COS 0 – November 5 | Taft, CA 

The Giants came out competitive but fell short in three sets on the road at Taft. Freshman opposite Ai-Lani Hunter (Central East HS) was a bright spot, leading all players with 16 kills while hitting .351 and adding 4 digs. Setter Molly Forehan (McKinnon Secondary) dished out 15 assists and added a kill, while Natalie Rankin (Porterville HS) contributed another 10 assists, a kill, and an ace. 

Despite a strong defensive effort from libero Allison Wood (Immanuel HS), who tallied a match-high 29 digs and served up an ace. Mariainez Lopez (Dinuba HS) and Trinity Tavita (Clark HS) each contributed double-digit attack attempts, but the Cougars' blocking and timely scoring proved decisive. 

COS 3, Porterville 0 – November 7 | Porterville, CA 

Two nights later, the Giants responded with one of their most complete performances of the season, beating Porterville College on the road. COS hit .438 as a team while holding the Pirates to just 22 total points across the three sets. 

Middle blocker Mallary Gonzalez (Hoover HS) was nearly unstoppable at the net, finishing with 6 kills on 9 swings (.556) and racking up 7 block assists. Lopez continued her steady play with 7 kills and 7 digs, while Tavita added 6 kills and 2 service aces. Faizia Mamea (Nevada) chipped in 6 kills and 3 blocks as well. 

Forehan and Rankin once again split setting duties, recording 16 assists apiece and combining for 4 aces. Wood added another 17 digs to her state-leading total, and the Giants totaled 15 block assists as a team. 

"We executed exactly the way we wanted," said Rix. "Our energy was excellent, we passed well, and everyone contributed. That's the kind of momentum you want as you head into another big week." 

Upcoming Matches 

College of the Sequoias returns home on Wednesday, November 5 to host Columbia College at 5:00 p.m. inside Porter Field House. They will then host Lemoore College on Friday, November 7 at 6:00 p.m., which will also be Sophomore Night.