Cuesta Women's Volleyball hosted #25 Santa Barbara City for their 2022 Western State Conference Opener. The Vaqueros jumped out 20-7 in the first set and, despite Cuesta holding off for two serves, they won the opener, 25-10. Cuesta also fell behind 20-6 in the second set but began to find their footing and some soft spots in the Vaqueros defense before falling, 25-14. The deciding game was in doubt, as the Cougars finally found their stride. The set was knotted at 15-15, until a late push by Santa Barbara gave them the match, 25-17. The victory bumped the #25th-ranked Vaqueros to 7-7 overall and 1-0 in the WSC, while the Cougars fell to 3-11 overall and 0-1 in the loop.
Today marked the Vaqueros second trip over the past five days to SLO, as both teams played in the Cougars' North-South Mini-Tournament last Saturday. All four teams in the event were in the playoffs last season, but the Cougars lost to both #14 Hartnell and unranked Monterey peninsula, while the Vaqueros shook off their 3-6 start to the season and swept both teams.
Cuesta continues its first swing through the Western State Conference at LA Mission in Sylmar on Friday (6 PM).