Women's Volleyball hosted #8 Moorpark for a Western State Conference match and pushed their ranked opponents to a fourth game.  The visiting Raiders came out strong taking the first set, 25-17, and. after Cuesta jumped out 10-4 in the second set, Moorpark dominated the rest of way by rolling out a 21-1 run to take control of the match, 25-11.  The Cougars, down two, bounced back from the loss knowing they forced the best out of their opponents and stepped up to match the Raiders.  Moorpark kept a slim lead most the third set but could not pull away from their host and Cuesta finally caught them at 18-18.  The Raiders took the next two points, only to have Cuesta tie them, again, at 20-all.  Then Moorpark took two more for a 22-20, but after that the next five points went to Cuesta for the win, 25-22.  The loss stunned the Raiders, but they came out firing in the 4th game, although the shine of their Top 10 ranking had dimmed. The Cougars were hungry to force a fifth set in front of their home crown and the two teams went to battle.  The two WSC foes practically traded runs over the first 40 points, 21-19, but Moorpark closed strong a 4-1 run to take the set and match, 25-20, three sets to one.  The loss drops the Cougars back to .500 at 13-13 on the season, which includes a 2-7 mark against the conference.  The WSC currently owns three of the Top 20 spots in the CCCAA State Rankings, which could help the Cougars reach the post-season for the second time in three years.  

The Cougars will need to finish strong to make their playoff dreams come true.  They host #20 Santa Barbara this Wednesday (6 PM), which is also "Sophomore Night".  The Cougars have six sophomores on their roster, and they shall receive recognition prior to the match.