Facing rival Long Beach City College, the Cerritos College volleyball team suffered a tough five-set South Coast Conference loss on Wednesday. The Falcons (5-7, 2-2) were defeated by the Vikings (4-9, 1-3), 25-23, 17-25, 16-25, 25-19, 13-15 and will now travel to Pasadena City College on Friday for a 6:00 p.m. conference match.

The match started slow for Cerritos, who fell behind 7-1 in the first set. But they were able to regroup and eventually took a 10-9 lead on a kill from freshman Jasmynne Roberts (Long Beach Poly HS). The two teams stayed close for the remainder of the game until sophomore Chelsea James (La Mirada HS) recorded the game-winning kill to give the Falcons a 25-23 win in the first set.

Long Beach opened up a quick lead in the second set and pulled away from an 11-11 score by recording 14 of the final 20 points to take the second set to tie up the match. The Falcons had trouble stopping a long Viking rally in the third set, as an 8-6 deficit turned into a 14-6 score. Up 17-10, the Vikings went on another five-point streak to extend its lead to 22-10, which eventually turned into a 25-16 win by LB City.

Cerritos turned the tables back on the Vikings in the fourth set with an 8-2 lead to start. Roberts, who finished with a team-high 17 kills and added 14 digs, picked up four kills in the game, including one that gave the team a 24-19 lead. Freshman Sara Hickman (La Mirada HS) finished off the game with a kill, which sent the match into a fifth and deciding game.

LBCC appeared to be well on its way to winning the match after going up 12-6 in the final set. But once again, Cerritos didn't go down without a fight. A pair of Long Beach errors, a kill by freshman Amanda Payne (Orange Lutheran HS), and an ace by Hickman got the Falcons within two at 12-10. The teams closed out the set with four straight errors, while a Roberts hit into the net sealed the win for the Vikings.

Freshman Valerie Montoya (La Mirada HS) added nine kills and five digs for the Falcons, while the duo of freshmen Crissy Silavong (Katella HS) and Michelle Barba (Downey HS) each dished out 23 assists in the loss. Sophomore Ashley Castro (Santa Fe HS) posted 16 digs and five assists, with James (six kills) and the pairing of Nicole Spigner (La Mirada HS) and Brianna Gutierrez (St. Matthias HS) both adding five kills.