The Falcons traveled to West Valley College in Saratoga on Wednesday for an early-season tournament, but this was no ordinary tournament; the Falcons were to play state-ranked #7 West Valley followed immediately by a match against state-ranked #3 Fresno City. Having opened with two wins at the Hartnell Tournament two weeks ago, Wednesday's gauntlet looked to be a perfect measuring tool for coach Molly Hanrahan's squad. In the opening match against West Valley, the Falcons had to dig deep after falling behind two sets to one (20-25, 25-17, 19-25). But rally they did, taking the fourth set 26-24 and the final set 15-12 to clinch the upset victory. Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Dillon made a triumphant return to the court after missing time with an ankle injury and was a big reason for the Falcons' victory, leading the team in kills and sparking the defense.
Unfortunately, the grueling five-set opening match contributed to the Falcons' downfall against Fresno. With no time for recovery and running on fumes, they were swept in three sets by the Rams, 21-25, 19-25, 16-25. Redshirt freshman Jessica Baker provided the offense, leading the team in kills while freshman Cassie Regan tallied multiple blocks against the Rams.
The women will play twice on Friday at the Butte Classic Tournament in Oroville: they'll take on Ohlone at 4:00 pm, then play tournament host Butte at 6:00 pm.
