SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Santa Ana volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-19) loss on Wednesday night as they hosted No. 21 Cypress in an Orange Empire Conference contest.

The Dons continued the trend of getting off to a good start as they built a cushion with a 20-9 lead in the first set. But in the end, Cypress found a way to rally all the way back to take the set 26-24.

In the second set, the Dons kept the score close and battled to a tie when Courtney Gomez set up Ashly Hernandez for a kill make it a 12-12 game. Soon after, the Chargers went on a another run to pull away, winning the set 25-17.

Santa Ana faced a 2-0 deficit but didn't go away easily. Elizabeth Merold tied the score in the third at 5-5 with a kill on a set by Jordan Ninmer. A few points later, Hernandez added another kill to help SAC stay in the game at 8-7.

Cypress then pushed points to take a 17-11 lead until the Dons responded with three straight points to stay within striking distance. After fighting all match, Santa Ana fell in the third by a score of 25-19.

Myrandah Zepeda collected a team high 12 kills and Ashly Hernandez was right behind her with 10 of her own. Courtney Gomez and Jordan Ninmer were both in double digits for assists, combining for 23 on the night. And libero Ally Wardlow had another great defensive match with a team high 23 digs.

NEXT UP: Santa Ana (3-10, 1-5) will take a short break from OEC play when they host Southwestern College (8-7, 2-4) on Friday at 6:00 p.m.