#8 Seed, State #15-Ranked Women's Volleyball Qualify For Playoffs For 5th Straight Season

Bia Silva leads the Lancers into the SoCal Regional Playoffs.
Bia Silva leads the Lancers into the SoCal Regional Playoffs.

TICKETS INFORMATION FOR REGIONAL PLAYOFF: CCCAA Mandated $12, Seniors and Children under 12 are $8. Tickets will be available at the door-CASH ONLY. Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium is on the second floor of the GM Building.

Seeded #8 and making the postseason for the fifth consecutive season under head coach Mike Terrill, Pasadena City College hosts #9 Grossmont in Round 2 of the Southern California Women's Volleyball Regionals on Tuesday, Nov. 22. First serve is 6 p.m. at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium.

The Lancers (17-7) also jumped up six spaces to #15 on the final regular season CCCWVCA State Top 25 rankings. 

Playing at home would be advantageous in most cases but playoff opponent and #9 Grossmont already has turned PCC into the underdogs for the match. The Griffins (21-3) won the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title with an undefeated 16-0 record and are on a 19-match win streak. On the Nov. 7 rankings, Grossmont rose to the top SoCal rating and #4 in the state. Grossmont is #6 on the final regular season rankings and in a perfect world likely would have earned at least an upper four high seed.

Grossmont's low seeding was a result of murky RPI math that didn't take into account beating South #2 seed Irvine Valley, #4 San Diego Mesa (twice), and #6 Mt. San Antonio. The Griffins losses all occurred in their first five matches, including defeats against #3 seed Moorpark, #10 Canyons, and #13 Santa Barbara City, another squad that likely should be much higher regionally considering also handing #1 Ventura its only defeat this season. Moorpark was #10, Canyons #14, and SBCC #16 in the state rankings that covers both South/North teams.

So what does bode well for PCC? That, ironically, the Lancers beat all three of the teams Grossmont lost against. So if any team that can find a way to beat those worthy opponents, the potential is there for PCC to advance.

This will be the third meeting in the playoffs against Grossmont. The Lancers lost to the Griffins in the second round of the 1989 SoCal Regionals and again in four sets at the 2011 regionals, also a second round matchup.

SILVA, YOGAN, LICON MAKE ALL-SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE TEAM

The Lancers are led by sophomore setter Bia Silva and frosh outside hitter Emma Yogan who each were selected All-South Coast Conference First Team. Libero Emily Licon was a Second Team choice. 

MATCHUPS v. GROSSMONT

(Statistics averages per set unless total listed)

Head Coaches: Lancers, Mike Terrill, 3 South Coast Conference titles (2017, 2018, 2021-state record undefeated 18-0), 106-51, career record, .675
Grossmont, Brooke Callahan, led team to State Tournament appearances in both 2019 (3rd place) and 2021 (Tied 5th place), 2 PCAC titles, 67-12, career record, .848

A Few Top Lancers: Silva 2.23 kills, 6.34 set assists, 2.79 digs, 0.47 blocks, 60 aces led South Coast Conference; Yogan 3.43 kills, 1.95 digs, 50 aces; Licon led team with 338 digs (3.38), 23 aces.
A Few Top Griffins: OH Madi Bogle, 3rd Team All-American, All-State, 3.88 kills, 3.11 digs; OH Brooke Miller, 2.43 kills, 2.73 digs, 35 aces; Chelsee Trendler, 10.9 set assists (2nd in state), 2.24 digs

Record v. 2022 Playoff Qualifiers: Lancers 9-6, Griffins 7-3
Record v. Like Opponents: Lancers 6-4, Griffins 7-3
Sweeps: Lancers 8, Griffins 16
4-Sets: Lancers 9 (6-3), Griffins 5 (3-2)
5-Sets: Lancers 4 (3-1), Griffins 2 (2-0)
Team Aces in State: Lancers 4th (2.83), Griffins 29th (2.26)
Team Kills in State: Lancers 17th (11.54), Griffins 5th (12.81)
Team Blocks in State: Lancers 23rd (1.65), Griffins 39th (1.44)
Team Digs in State: Lancers 35th (14.87), Griffins 23rd (16.25)