The Moorpark College women’s volleyball team looks to continue their established momentum as they continue the 2023 season with their younger team.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, the Moorpark Raiders women’s volleyball team hosted the Ventura College Pirates in the first rival game of the season.
Coming off of a huge home win against the Santa Monica Corsairs, the team’s energy was contagious as they looked to defeat their county rivals. The rival game gathered many fans as the Raider Gymnasium filled for the occasion.
The Raiders are 6-5 on the season and have established a solid at-home record. The Pirates are currently on a six-game winning streak, including the Corsairs.
Athletic Director Matt Crater spoke about the excitement that a rival game can have on audience members and the volleyball team.
“I think everyone just gets excited,” Crater spoke. “A lot of them know each other from playing in high school, but while the excitement is there, they’ve played each other multiple times. You can tell they’re having fun, and the matchup is exciting.”
To start the game, the Pirates and Raiders kept the score tight, however messy serves from both teams kept the scores close. While highlights from players were still abundantly present, the Pirates outlasted the Raiders 25-14 in set one.
However, the Raiders came into set two on a mission and looked to silence the Pirates. They quickly established a 4-0 lead in set two, and only continued this drive deeper into the set. Freshman Abby Montana aided her team with several blocks. At the same time, freshman Cashe Olswang provided a handful of kills for the Raiders.
The Ventura Pirates could not keep up against the powerful momentum that Moorpark had established, and the Raiders took the second set, 25-16. The Raiders had now tied the game.
The Raiders continued their determination into the third set of the game, quickly pulling ahead of the Pirates. The rivalry game has brought out excitement and energy from both teams. Olswang added more kills to her game tally, and both freshman Grace Hazelton and sophomore Larissa Dakoske earned aces.
This being the first rivalry game for many of the Raider first-year athletes, the match brought high-pressure and high-stake scenarios that had not been felt by these young players before. Montana, a first-year athlete, spoke about the game’s energy and her mindset going into it.
“I absolutely love rivalry games but I also always have to tell myself that no matter what team is on the other side of the net, I have to play the way I always do,” Montana spoke. “I was definitely super pumped though and of course I wanted to win, but they’re [Ventura] also a good team, but at the end of the day we just gotta leave it on the court.”
In the fourth set, the Raiders looked to finish the game strong, while the Ventura Pirates hoped to keep themselves alive and push the game to a fifth set.
The back-and-forth battle between the two teams was clearly shown, as the score stayed extremely tight throughout the fourth set. Each team showcased their talents, drive and determination as each player exerted all of their energy on the task at hand.
Olswang came through for her team, earning several more kills in the fourth set and a block at a crucial moment in the game. Hazelton earned kills and another ace, and Montana blocked several spikes from the Pirates.
The Pirates also showcased their determination, with the team staying slightly ahead of the Raiders. However, in the game’s final plays, the Raiders pulled ahead of the Pirates to shut down the Pirates 25-23. The game was completed in four sets, with the Moorpark Raiders defeating the Ventura Pirates.
This was the first sports rivalry game of the 2023 season, and the women’s volleyball team set the bar extremely high for the rest of the rivalry games to follow. Head Coach Adam Black spoke about both teams’ rivalry and what was at stake.
“Ventura is our cross-county rival, and we try to recruit the same kids, so it’s pretty exciting to get this win,” Black said. “More importantly, it’s our first game of the conference, so to be able to get a conference win was really good. It’s great for our program and great for athletics.”
The Raiders ended the Pirates’ six-game win streak and moved to 7-5 on the season. The Raiders have established a four-game winning streak as they enter the second half of their season.
Black spoke about the team’s positive momentum moving forward while also discussing his goals for the season.
“We have to stay hungry and to keep working and getting better, but we are also preaching to stay present in the moment,” Black spoke. “The goal every year is to win a state championship, but I think that is every program’s goal. But my goal that transcends winning a championship is getting them to understand how to perform at a high level consistently. If they can do that in a sport, then they can do that in life.”
For more information on the Moorpark Raiders women’s volleyball team’s upcoming games, click here.
