Panthers Beat West Valley, 3-2

SALINAS, Calif. —  Hartnell College Women's Volleyball remains undefeated after a fiercely contested victory at home over Coast Conference rival West Valley College on Oct. 3.

The Panthers needed five sets to win, going 17-25, 25-21, 25-20, 21-25 and 15-10.

The Vikings'quick scoring in the first set left Hartnell struggling to catch up.

But the Panthers made a graceful comeback in the second set, with three consecutive blocks from the defense by Aixa Crespo (St. Scholastica Academy) and three consecutive strikes from sophomore setter Sam Shaffer (Salinas High). Hartnell maintained its momentum in the third set, with a five-point margin.

The Vikings rallied in the fourth set, but Hartnell took charge in the decisive fifth set.

Team leaders for the Panthers were sophomore Megan Gonzalez (Carmel High), with 18 kills and 13 digs; freshman Jahvanah Marineli (Salinas High), with 28 assists and 14 digs; and sophomore Esmeralda Nava (North Salinas High), who served three aces and had 13 digs.