No. 4 Men's Volleyball Routes L.A. Trade Tech

Sophomore Neil Taitano recorded a handful of aces in No. 4 LBCC's victory over L.A. Trade Tech on Friday night. (photo by Jocelyn Gonzalez)
Sophomore Neil Taitano recorded a handful of aces in No. 4 LBCC's victory over L.A. Trade Tech on Friday night. (photo by Jocelyn Gonzalez)
March 24, 2017

The No. 4 Long Beach City College Vikings returned to the Hall of Champions Gymnasium to face off against the L.A. Trade Tech Beavers in conference action. The Vikings cruised past the Beavers for their eighth-consecutive victory and second conference win of the season.

The Vikings wasted minimal time hopping on the scoreboard with freshman opposite Steven Rotter (La Palma, CA) recording a trio of strong kills. Sophomore setter Gary Trejo (Downey, CA) and Rotter established an early force in the middle by rising up for a block, backed by kills from freshman outside Daniel Deng (Long Beach, CA) and freshman middle blocker Alan Zalaya (Long Beach, CA) to grab an 11-5 lead.

Sophomore Taylor Dorr (Kona, HI) extended the Vikings' lead to double-digits by hammering home a kill that almost knocked the referee off of his tower. Sophomore Neil Taitano (Carson, CA) displayed serving savvy by sending home an ace en route to a 25-14 set victory.

The second set read the same for the Vikings despite getting off to a slow start. Freshman outside hitter Cyrus Fa'alogo (Salt Lake City, UT) tied the game up at four-all, backed by a Fa'alogo and Garcia block to gain the lead at 6-5.

Door continued to chip in and make contributions with another kill, while Rotter dented the deck with two-consecutive kills. L.A. Trade Tech handed the Vikings multiple points due to errors, eventually granting the Vikings a 25-19 victory.

The Vikings remained consistent by jumping out to an early 8-1 lead in the third set. Sophomore setter Jayce Ashement (Gilbert, AZ) entered into the game and contributed right away by setting a rifling kill to Rotter. Sophomore middle Elai Mama (Moreno Valley, CA) entered the contest for the first time and rose up for a block, backed by a kill from Deng.

Sophomore libero David Escobedo (Los Angeles, CA) entered into the game and located spacing on the hardwood for two-consecutive aces. Zalaya continued to swing well by hammering home another kill. Mama and Dorr recorded two kills leading to a 25-18 score and a set sweep.

The Vikings (11-3, 2-0) will be tested next week as they hit the road to face off against the El Camino College Warriors at 6 p.m.