Zaria Saunders serves in the Dons match against Irvine Valley College.
Zaria Saunders serves in the Dons match against Irvine Valley College.
November 5, 2014

Dons Fall to Undefeated Irvine Valley College in Straight Sets

The Dons kept it close in the second set but the first place Lasers won the match by scores of 25-12, 25-18 and 25-6.

Box Score

SANTA ANA -  The Dons lost their Orange Empire Conference match to Irvine Valley College in straight sets. The Lasers (17-0, 10-0) defeated the Dons (4-13, 1-9) with scores of 25-12, 25-18 and 25-6.

The visiting Lasers opened the first set with three-straight points before the Dons answered with three points of their own to tie the set early at 3-3. Irvine Valley would break that tie but kills by Esther Arroyo and Daisy Ta'amilo would keep the Dons close early.

After Arroyo's second kill made the set 10-7 in favor of IVC, the Lasers would go on a 7-0 run to establish a 17-8 lead. Chloe Anderson finally broke that run with a kill but the Lasers closed out the set and won 25-12.

The second set opened with the Dons grabbing an early 2-0 lead before IVC went on a 4-0 run to take a 4-2 lead. Iliana Mendoza snapped that run with a kill but the Lasers were able to extend their lead to 8-4. Arroyo added a kill before Anderson added two kills later in the set to keep the Dons within four at 12-8.

After an IVC run made it 17-8, the Dons put together a 4-0 run on an Anderson kill, an Arroyo kill, a Saunders kill and an Anderson ace to make the game 17-12. The Dons would keep as close as six points before the Lasers won the set 25-18.

The final set was all Irvine Valley as the Lasers jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back. The Dons broke the opening run with a Mendoza kill before getting a 3-0 run later on a Zaria Saunders kill, a Fernanda Ruiz block and a Saunders ace. But that would be it for the Dons as IVC went on to win the set, and the match, by a score of 25-6.