Vikings Push No. 4 San Diego Mesa to Five Sets

 The Long Beach City College women's volleyball team battled wire-to-wire against No. 4-ranked San Diego Mesa but ultimately fell in a five-set thriller (25-23, 24-26, 18-25, 25-23, 9-15) on Friday night at the Hall of Champions Gym.

Despite facing a top state-ranked opponent, the Vikings showed resilience, forcing a decisive fifth set behind strong team play. Sophomore outside hitter Tyreana Allen led the charge with a match-high 13 kills, adding 16 points overall thanks to her all-around contributions at the net. Cynthia Hinojosa added seven kills and four service aces, while Kyla Jones chipped in nine kills and three digs. Middle blocker Alexandra Rosquin was highly efficient, hitting .417 with six kills, while Ryleeh Tuaolo and Emily Nanez helped anchor the front row with key blocks and timely kills.

Defensively, Isabella Salgado paced the back row with 13 digs, while setter Emeli Muagututi'a distributed 16 assists and added eight digs of her own.

"I think that them being ranked fourth in the state and us being ranked 25th, we put up an excellent fight," said Director of Volleyball Operations and Head Coach Tyler Jackson. "We talk about a lot of things that make us mentally tougher. We had a great practice yesterday, and we showed some of that today. Overall, it was a tremendous fight."

The Vikings will look to bounce back on the road Wednesday, Sept. 17, when they travel south to face Grossmont College at 6 p.m.