The No. 1 Long Beach City College men's volleyball squad looked to extend their reign in the top-seed as they hosted No. 5 Santa Barbara City College on Friday evening. The Vikings swept the Vaqueros in three sets and earned their twelfth-straight win with set scores reading 25-13, 25-17, 25-22.
The Vikings took control offensively in the first two sets and flew through the Vaqueros with ease. The Vikings averaged .556 accuracy in the first set and .400 in the second.
Sophomore middle blocker Victor Villarreal led the team with eight kills and three block assists. Villarreal was precise the entire game at the net by leading the Vikings with a .600 kill percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Andrew Pearson totaled three service aces during the match, and now has 11 on the season.
Freshman setter Melbe Perez collected 23 assists behind the ball. Perez averages 7.72 assists per game and has totaled 278 assists so far.
In the third set, the Vaqueros came out strong and fought back by initially taking the lead and making the Vikings work for the final set win. After the final timeout, and the Vaqueros only two points behind the Vikings, Villarreal sealed their twelfth consecutive win with the final kill and the assist from Perez.
The top-ranked men's volleyball team will play again at No. 7 Fullerton College on Wednesday, Mar. 7 at 6 p.m.
