Juarez has Career Night as Warriors Stun No. 8 Pasadena in Conference Opener

TORRANCE, Calif. --- After going through seven non-conference games without a victory, El Camino College opened South Coast Conference play with a stunning 3-1 (25-14, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21) victory over No. 8 Pasadena on Friday night at the ECC Gym Complex.

Sophomore Leafa Juarez was the star of the night as she hammered down a career best 28 kills on 63 swings with a .349 hitting percentage. It was the most kills by a Warriors player since Brea Rutledge recorded 27 kills in a five-set win over L.A. Harbor on Sept. 15, 2021. The last player to record 28 kills in a game for ECC was Mikayla Clark when she had 28 in a five-set win over Fullerton in the first round of the CCCAA SoCal Regionals on Nov. 26, 2019.

Prior to Friday, Juarez's previous career high in kills was 17 against Peninsula (Monterey) on Aug. 28, 2021. Her .349 percentage was the first time she's hit over .300 in a match with at least 10 attempts.

Along with Juarez, Jayden Zabala was excellent with a double-double, dishing out 47 assists to go with 13 digs while setting the Warriors to a collective .276 hitting percentage, their best mark of the year.

Alex Perryman had 10 kills and Mya Johnson added seven on offense while the defense was anchored by Crystal Salgado with 19 digs. Makaela Wilson added 18 digs and Athina Sarreas had three blocks.

The Warriors dominated the opening set as they recorded 16 kills with just one error en route to a comfortable win and a 1-0 lead.

The second was closer but the Warriors never trailed, leading by as many as seven points before securing the win and taking a 2-0 lead.

In the third, the Lancers responded with a fast start, taking a 17-9 advantage and looked to be poised to take the set. But ECC ran off eight straight points to tie things up and make it interesting. But the Lancers regrouped with three straight points and scored seven of the last 11 points to cut the deficit in half.

The fourth set was very tight as neither team led by more than two points until a three-point spurt gave ECC a 19-15 advantage.

The Lancers would cut it down to 21-20 but the Warriors scored four of the next five points to claim the set and the match as Zabala's setter dump fell behind the Pasadena defense for the final point and ECC's first win of the season.

The Warriors will return to action on Friday with a road match at Cerritos. First serve is set for 6 p.m.