The Dons four sophomores were honored before their final home match. Head Coach Troy Abbey (center) is pictured with (from left to right) Danielle Goldowski, Michelle Nguyen, Alejandrina Alejandro and Netina Moemoe.
The Dons four sophomores were honored before their final home match. Head Coach Troy Abbey (center) is pictured with (from left to right) Danielle Goldowski, Michelle Nguyen, Alejandrina Alejandro and Netina Moemoe.
November 15, 2013

Dons Give Fans a Show in Final Home Match of Season against Orange Coast

The final home match of the season ended in a straight-set loss to Orange Coast, but not before the Dons gave their fans a final rally to end set.

Box Score

SANTA ANA - In their final home match of the season, the Dons did everything they could to extend their match against Orange Coast College before ultimately falling in the third set. The Pirates (12-6, 7-6) defeated the Dons (3-18, 0-13) by scores of 25-8, 25-16 and 25-23.

The Dons stayed close early in the first set with Esther Arroyo's kill pulling SAC within two points at 5-3 before the Pirates went on a 9-1 run to take a 14-4 lead. Iliana Mendoza snapped that run with a kill to make the score 14-5. Mendoza would get another kill later in the set, followed by a Netina Moemoe service ace, before Orange Coast went on to win the set 25-8.

Danielle Goldowski opened the second set with a pair of kills, the first being the first point of the set and the second tying the set at 2-2. The Pirates broke that tie with three-straight points before Arroyo recorded a kill to cut the score to 6-4.

After Orange Coast pulled out to an 11-5 lead, Mendoza and Moemoe combined for back-to-back points on a kill and a service ace to pull the Dons within four at 11-7. The Pirates then grew their lead to seven points at 18-11 before the Dons started a late rally.

SAC scored four-straight points on an Arroyo kill, an Nguyen service ace and a pair of Mendoza kills to pull within three points at 18-15. However, the Pirates would stop the rally with a 7-1 run to win the set 25-16.

The third set proved to be the most competitive of the night from start-to-finish. After the Pirates grabbed an early 3-1 lead, the Dons came back with an Nguyen kill and a Goldowski service ace to tie the set at 3-3.

From there, the teams played to ties of 5-5, 7-7, 9-9 and 10-10 before the Pirates established the first big lead of the set at 16-11. Orange Coast would continue to hold a large lead up to 22-14. The Dons would then get three-straight points on two Arroyo kills and a Mendoza kill to cut the lead to 22-17 before the Pirates got to match point at 24-18.

But the Dons wouldn't give up the set that easily, mounting a 5-0 run starting with a Goldowski kill before four-straight kills by Mendoza that cut the lead to 24-23. But the Dons rally stopped there as Orange Coast won the set, and the match, by a final score of 25-23.