The first day of the 2015 Season for the College of Marin Volleyball Team was an eventful one, as they competed well in a pair of matches against Cañada College and Cosumnes River College. Although they went winless, there were several hopeful signs for the season.
The team began the season on the right note with a 25-20 first set victory over Cañada College. Although they dropped the next three sets and the match, several new faces shined in the opener. Freshman Sir Francis Drake High graduate Tate Dobbins finished the match with 15 kills and five digs, and freshman setter Jenny Huezo had 27 assists and five digs. Sophomore transfer Kailey Walker had eight kills, seven digs and three aces, while freshman and Novato High graduate Janea Early had six kills and five aces.
The team also includes San Rafael High alum Ashley Mellor, Drake graduate Darrian Cross, as well as Jenya Nicol and Diana Meija. With no returners and eight new faces, Head Coach Lindsay Bacigalupi is tasked with a quick rebuilding. There is plenty of opportunity for a team blessed with its height and agility as Early, Cross, Dobbins and Mellor are all at least 5'10".
The second match of the day against Cosumnes River started out a bit slower than the first, as a Mariners dropped the first two sets before rallying to take the third. Though the team lost the match 3-1 they continued to show improvement as the game progressed. Dobbins led the way again for the College of Marin with 21 kills and six digs. Huezo contributed 29 assists and two aces, while Walker filled up the stat sheet with five kills, four aces and seven digs.
The team travels to Hartnell College on Friday, September 4th for a pair of games to wrap up a busy first week of the season.