FAIRFIELD, Calif. - San Diego City College's first trip to the CCCAA State Women's Volleyball Championships was a brief one as veteran tourney participant Cabrillo swept the Knights, 25-16, 25-14, 25-21, behind Kylie Kvam's 14 kills and .414 hitting percentage. The match was the first of four state quarterfinals being played Saturday at Solano College.
The Seahawks improved to a sparkling 30-1 as they hit an efficient .280 overall compared to an .087 for SDCC (23-4). Kvam added 10 digs while setter Mari Molina distributed the ball to a host of different hitters, finishing with 33 assists, three kills an d0 digs. Jolie Samuelson pounded nine kills with 11 digs and Rebecca Lee added seven kills and served two aces. Alyssa Nelson held strong on defense on 15 digs.
Currently on an 18-match win streak, Cabrillo is 13-15 in state tournament matches in its history. The Seahawks, winners of the 2013 and 2015 state titles (and runner-up in 2014), can finish no lower than tied for third at this year's event.
For San Diego, Brielle McKinnon scored eight kills (hit .400) and totaled a team-high 15 digs. Lysette Serna had nine kills and Bree Reid dished out 17 assists with 10 digs.
"Making it to state was a big step for our program," said SD City head coach Dede Bodnar, who has directed the Knights the past 20 years. "We've changed how others view us, and we're bringing in bettter players than we've had in the past. This team was scrappy all year, but we ran into a really tough team in Cabrillo."
San Diego had never reached the postseason ever until making it in as a play-in round seed last year. A year, later the Knights upset region No. 4 seed Cypress and then No. 5 Pierce, ironically the only team to defeat Cabrillo this season in a non-conference match. San Diego finishes in a tie for fifth place at the state tourney.
