Lady Cougars split on the road

Lassen College volleyball hit the road against Shasta College and the College of the Redwoods last week, splitting games to up their record to 1-2 in the Golden Valley Conference.

The Cougars faced Shasta College in Redding without six-foot newcomer Saniya Walker, dropping the match in straight sets 17-25, 16-25, and 23-25. Lassen struggled against Shasta's size, and faulted on key serves. Despite the errors, freshmen Olivia Nord and Taylore Somerville were bright spots for the Cougars, leading their team with kills. Nord collected eight kills and Somerville added four kills while hitting .300. Taysha Ortega put up 15 assists and Hannah McLauchlin added 15 digs. Jasmin Churchill had three solo blocks.

"We started very slow in this match and didn't find a rhythm until late in the second set," said Head Coach Amy Morris. "We were in the third set the entire time, but lost late due to a few crucial errors. The team wasn't firing on all cylinders for this match and it really showed."

The next day, the Cougars made the long trip to the coast and rebounded against College of the Redwoods in Eureka. Lassen took control early, winning in straight sets 25-17, 25-19, and 25-19, behind the leadership of sophomore Josie Booth. Booth led the team offensively with eight kills, followed by Jasmin Churchill and Olivia Nord with six kills apiece. Hannah McLauchlin dug up 22 balls and Taysha Ortega dished out 21 assists for the match.

"We came and really handled the match well," said Morris. "Mentally we knew this was our last away match for a while and it was the conclusion of traveling for two months. I was proud of the way we got in and got out fast to not make it a long match."