Volleyball back on track

The Saddleback women's volleyball team got back to winning ways on Wednesday with a four-set win over Fullerton College at the Saddleback Gymnasium.  The Gauchos are now 8-2 against programs from California.

Saddleback was trying to bounce back from losing their first game in three weeks against rival Irvine Valley last Friday, and many wondered how they would respond.  The Gauchos split the first two games against the Hornets before running away with a 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-11 win.  The victory puts Saddleback in fourth place overall in the Orange Empire Conference with a big match at Orange Coast on tap for Friday. 

Saddleback had great performances from a number of players, including Kelli Dowell, Lauren Whitehouse, Keara O'Brien Pol, Kendall Nolan, Antonette Rolda and Natalee Gray.  Dowell was a force in the defensive end with 20 digs while Whitehouse, O'Brien Pol and Nolan combined for 28 kills.  Rolda finished with a team-high 26 assists while co-leading the team in aces along with Gray (5). 

Saddleback is now 9-5 overall and 2-1 in Orange Empire Conference play following the win while Fullerton dropped to 4-6, 1-3.  The Gauchos have a critical match upcoming as they will travel to Orange Coast to take on the Pirates (11-1, 3-0) with a chance to move up in the standings.  Match time is scheduled for 6:00 PM on Friday in Costa Mesa.