Ventura Stops Pierce With Team Effort

The difference between the two most recent Ventura College women’s volleyball teams is that this year’s model is capable of defeating good teams without a dominating performance by outside hitter Vanessa Hackett.

Ventura supplied ample proof Thursday as the Pirates swept Pierce, 15-1, 15-13, 15-2, in a Western State Conference match at Pierce.

Hackett, one of three returning starters from last year’s team that tied Pierce and Cuesta for the WSC regular-season title, had a solid but unspectacular match with eight kills.

Teammates Sandy Ford (10 kills, one hitting error), Erin Donaldson (nine kills, one error) and Ashley Armstrong (seven kills, two errors) gave her plenty of support, however.

Ventura had 41 kills and only 12 errors.

“Last year (Hackett) was the show for them,” Pierce Coach Steve Gazzaniga said. “This year, that’s no more. Now they’ve got a lot of good girls around her that can pick up the team if she’s not playing well. (Coach Sharon McAlexander) has done a great job of putting together a solid team this season.”

Playing in sweltering temperatures in the men’s gym at Pierce, Ventura (6-0, 5-0 in conference play) took control of the match early.

After taking a 1-0 lead with Candise Baker serving, the Pirates scored three more points with Armstrong serving, and then four with Hackett at the service line.

Gazzaniga called timeouts with Pierce trailing, 7-0, and 12-0, but Pierce could not stop Ventura’s first-game assault.

“We passed ourselves silly in practice yesterday,” McAlexander said, “and I think it showed in the match today. Our game is based on a lot of quick passing, so timing is very important.”

Gazzaniga noted that Pierce (3-3, 3-1) did not play badly but that Ventura consistently hit the ball to open areas on the floor.

“They took advantage of what we gave them,” Gazzaniga said. “We would block something back to them, they would see where we were bunched up, then hit the ball elsewhere. They’ve got a lot of hitters who can hit all over the court.”

Pierce, the 10th-ranked team in the J. C. Athletic Bureau state poll, took a 6-2 lead in the second game before Ventura came back to forge a 6-6 tie.

After a series of sideouts, Tiffani Cardoza gave the Brahmas an 8-6 advantage with two service points, but Ventura countered with a run of its own for a 10-8 lead.

With the score tied, 13-13, Ventura won the biggest game of the match with Hackett serving.

Heather Welser had a kill for the Pirates’ 14th point, and Ford’s stuff block of a Pierce spike gave Ventura the winning point.

The third game was virtually a replay of the first as Ventura jumped to leads of 6-1 and 12-1 before winning, 15-2.

The entire match lasted less than 75 minutes. “I never expected it to be over this quickly,” McAlexander said. “Pierce is a very good team.

“When we first walked in here, and I felt the heat, I was thinking, ‘This could be a five-game cruncher.’ ”

Nikki Ferreira had a team-high eight kills for Pierce and Stephanie Burns added six.