The Cerritos College volleyball team dropped their sixth match in a row, as they were defeating by defending state champion Orange Coast College 15-30, 21-30, 26-30 on Wednesday night. The Falcons (0-6) will now enter the San Diego Mesa Tournament over the weekend.

    Orange Coast (4-1) used its size to its advantage in the first game, as Jenna Harp's two early blocks helped set the tone for a 12-6 Pirate lead. Cerritos hung around and trailed by five (19-14) before allowing 11 of the next 12 points to close the game out. A quartet of players each had two kills for the Falcons in the game.
    
    It was more of the same in the second game, as the Pirates jumped out to an early lead, thanks to a 17-4 run early on to take control of a 22-9 advantage. Cerritos made a run of their own, with freshman Brittany Hayes (Artesia HS) recording three kills, as the Falcons went on a 12-7 run to get to within 28-21. But the Pirates closed out the game by scoring the next two points.

    Riding their momentum from the end of the second game, Cerritos opened up the third game with a 15-9 lead, with freshman Samantha Montiel (Montebello HS) accounting for four kills, while freshman Teresa Orejel (Santa Fe HS) added two. However, the team could hold off the two-time defending state champions, who went on a 14-7 run to take a 23-22 and went on for a 30-26 win.

    Hayes and Montiel each led the team with six kills, while sophomore Kristin Mendoza (St. Paul HS) and Orejel finished with four each. Freshman Julie Reich (La Mirada HS) was effective on offense and defense, as she dished off 19 assists to go along with her team-high 11 digs, while the Falcons welcomed sophomore Vanessa Mojica (Whittier HS) for her first match of the season. Mojica contributed seven digs and two service aces, while freshman Amber Olivas (Hacienda Heights Wilson HS) contributed eight digs and Montiel had seven.