The American River College volleyball team won its last match in straight sets at Diablo Valley College. They traveled to Folsom Lake College on Sept. 20 looking to extend it’s winning streak. After its 3-0 win against DVC, the Beavers entered the game in Folsom with a record of 11-1, looking to get another 3-0 sweep.

The Beavers jumped out of the gates fast in the first set creating a 12-2 run to start things off. FLC had an answer going on a 7-2 run of its own making it 14-9. The Falcons kept fighting, eventually cutting ARC’s lead down to just two. The Beavers never gave away the lead, and took the first set 25-19 on a third set point.

Set two followed a much different script than the first and had the Falcons jumping out to an early 3-1 lead. ARC got the lead right back with a service ace by freshman Ellie Basquez. The ace kickstarted a 14-0 run for the Beavers. FLC never really had an answer for the Beavers, leading ARC to the second set win 25-7.

Both teams got off to a hot start in set three, creating a back and forth affair that had FLC up 5-4. They continued trading points, but the Falcons kept a slight edge. Despite trailing, ARC never wavered and eventually clawed its way back into the lead with a 16-13 edge. The Beavers built on that by creating a 7-3 run, giving them a 23-16 advantage. ARC put the Falcons to rest after a third set point gave them a 25-19 win, and ended up securing the sweep on the road.

“We kept referring back to trying to maintain the rhythm on our side and narrate the game,” said Carson Lowden, head coach, following the win. 

Sophomore Morgan Castaneda led the way for ARC with 20 kills and a .531 kill percentage. Basquez and sophomore Kaylynn Whitt also led with three service aces. 

The Beavers ranked No. 3 in the latest California Community College Athletics Association volleyball rankings. They have now won five straight, including four straight sweeps. Only time will tell if these latest results might bump them up in the next 3C2A rankings.

“It can add more pressure, so I try not to think about past games,” said sophomore Cady Hatch, when asked if the team thought about the winning streak. 

ARC will look to keep its winning streak alive when they come back home on Sept. 25 to face San Joaquin Delta College. The Mustangs gave the Beavers its only loss when they competed earlier this month in a tournament.