SANTA ANA - The Dons dropped their Orange Empire Conference match to Riverside City College in four sets after an exciting extra-points win in the first set. The first set went to the Dons (4-10, 1-7) 26-24 before the Tigers (6-11, 3-5) won the next three sets 25-20, 25-17 and 25-15.
The first set opened with the visiting Tigers grabbing the first two points before claiming an early 3-1 lead. The Dons battled back, eventually tying the set at 6-6 before taking their first lead at 7-6 on an Iliana Mendoza kill.
However, Riverside City would come back with three-straight points to go up 9-7 before building their lead as large as five points at 17-12. The Dons bounced back with an 8-3 run, capped off by a Mendoza kill, to tie the set at 20-20. Later, an Esther Arroyo block put the Dons at set point at 24-23, but Riverside City wouldn't go down without a fight. After the Tigers tied the set at 24-24, the Dons answered with two straight points, including Zaria Saunders' set-winning ace, to win 26-24.
The Tigers would once again hold an early lead with a 7-2 score to start the second set. Once again, the Dons would come back, pulling within one at 11-10 on a Mendoza kill. However, Riverside City would pull away from there to take a 20-12 lead.
But the Dons had a late run in them, cutting the Tigers lead to four points at 22-18 and again at 24-22, with the latter time coming on back-to-back kills by Arroyo. Unfortunately for the home team, the Tigers were able to stop the rally and win the set 25-20, ultimately tying the match 1-1.
The third set opened with the Dons holding an early 3-1 lead on the strength of two Arroyo blocks before the teams traded the lead several times. After the set was tied at 8-8, the Tigers broke that tie and wouldn't relinquish the lead for the remainder of the set.
The Dons would pull as close as three points at 15-18 after back-to-back Mendoza kills before Riverside City pulled out to a 21-16 lead. Finally, the Tigers closed out the set with a 3-0 run following another Mendoza kill at 22-17 to win the set 25-17.
The Tigers closed out the match in the fourth set after taking control of the set with a 6-0 run after the Dons had jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Arroyo would record a kill to pull the Dons within four at 10-6 before cutting the lead to just three at 12-9 behind a kill and back-to-back service aces.
The next point went to the Dons to pull them within two at 12-10 before the Tigers went on a 9-0 run to break the set open at 21-10. The Dons would get five more points before the set was over but Riverside City went on to the 25-15 victory.
