In last night's matchup against the visiting Arizona Western College Matadors, the Yavapai College Volleybal team was looking to settle the score after their last bout, where the Roughriders would fall 0-3. Although there was intensity within the game, the home team would once again fall 1-3 against what appears to be their greatest foes.
    The first game was a close back-and-forth with lots of high powered offensive plays. However, it was a slow start for the home team, as AWC broke out with a 9-3 lead to begin the game. #16 Trinity PiIimai would get the offense going with a couple of huge hits, and big blocks by #15 Tiona Drumm and #3 Micah Gardner kept the match close from then on. When the score was 17-19, and YC was itching for a comeback, #11 Hannah West made a huge play, as she would spike the ball onto the line. Pilimai made a couple more impressive uncontested kills, with some assistance by the Libero #13 Ciara Yearby. A big block by #8 Hanna Pereira and a final kill from Drumm would lead Yavapai to their first and only win of the night, winning 25-23.
    The next match was also a close one, but this one did not swing in favor of the Roughriders. #10 Jocelyn Tavares used her patented fake set tip to score a couple of points in this matchup, and Gardner got way up there for a kill early on, but some early communications would be the theme of the rest of the games this night. In the back row, #17 Makaya Moody and Ciara Yearby had trouble deciding who would go for the ball, and some missed digs and easy shots by some other players left YC in a 12-15 hole. More errors would lead to YC falling 17-23, and even though the momentum started to pick up a little bit with some more Pilimai kills-- making the crowd yearn for another comeback-- it was too little, too late. AWC would win this matchup, 25-22.
    At this point, YC was determined to get back into this game. Coach Chelsey Lucas would point out clear mistakes her team was making, but there were still many miscommunications. Despite this, Hanna Pereira and Tiona Drumm were able to make some great serves, and #4 Emily Hogg provided much needed intensity to the match. But a few mistakes early on would drastically help the opposition. YC would fall by 3 points, and the lead by the visitors would ever expand. Even though some defensive efforts by #18 Michalina Oles would help a tad, YC was no match for Arizona Western, who would cheer louder and louder as their score would go higher and higher. Yavapai would fall 16-25 in this third match, and it felt like there may not be some miraculous comeback this time.
    The fourth and final match consisted of a beat up home team. They were clearly not in this game, and even the bench had little to no energy. Even though big hits by Hogg and Drumm kep the matchup close early on, the Matadors would pull away again as YC continued to blunder. Yavapai was down 11-17, and there was a clear lack of communication between each player. Some good digs and saves by Makaya Moody kept YC in this game, but the home team would inevitably fall 17-25 in this final battle. Arizona Western wins 3-1.