Gauchos serve notice with opening win

The Saddleback women's volleyball team opened the season with a 3-1 win at Glendale College on Wednesday night in Glendale.  The Gauchos and Vaqueros were tied at 1-1 before Saddleback pulled away in the final two sets.

Saddleback opened the match with a 25-19 win in game one before dropping the second set, 17-25.  The Gauchos then took control in set three, racing past the Vaqueros, 25-8, for a 2-1 lead.  Saddleback then finished off Glendale 25-19 in the final set of the night.

"Playing with five freshmen on opening night, you never quite know what you are going to get," head coach Brian Hughes said.  "They responded really well, bouncing back from a loss in the second set to run away with the third set."

Freshman Ronnie Robinson led the way for Saddleback, finishing with 18 kills, eight digs and two block assists.  The Gauchos also received a sensational performance from freshman Ellie Groh, who finished with 37 assists in her first collegiate match.  Saddleback finished with 11 service aces for the night, with freshman Cassidy Atchison finishing with three aces, 10 kills and five digs.   Sophomore Ireland Ridill added seven kills and two service aces.

For Saddleback, it was the first win on opening day since 2015 and sets the stage for an intriguing matchup with Cerritos College (1-0) on Friday night in the home opener.  The Gauchos and Falcons are scheduled to start at 6:00 PM.