Owls Battle Hard in Home Opener Loss to Ventura

Citrus College Volleyball dropped its home opener in four sets (25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 22-25) against Ventura College on Friday night, September 19.

The Owls move to 7-6 on the season, while the Pirates improve to 6-4 overall.

Citrus came out strong, taking the opening set 25-18, but Ventura responded by capturing the next three. The Owls fought to the end, nearly forcing a decisive fifth set after a late three-point surge cut the deficit to 22-20 in the fourth, before the Pirates closed it out.

Sophia Martinez led the way, finishing with 12 kills, 12 digs, and two aces. Aaliyah Janae Freeman tallied 10 kills, two solo blocks, and an ace, while Emma Cristales added 11 kills and three aces. Setter Lily Whitney paced the offense with 33 assists to go along with 10 digs, two kills, and an ace. Defensively, Alexia Avalos chipped in 13 digs and an ace, and Sammi Rivard anchored the back row with 14 digs and two aces.

The Owls hit the road next week for their final non-conference matchup, visiting LA Pierce on Wednesday, September 24 at 6 p.m.