Taking on one of the elite teams in the South Coast Conference, the Cerritos College volleyball team extended host Pasadena City College on Wednesday before dropping the match. The Falcons (5-9, 2-4) lost a five-set match to Long Beach City College last week, and were defeated 16-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-16, 12-15 by the Lancers (7-8, 5-1). The team will now travel to Los Angeles Trade-Tech College on Friday for a 6:00 p.m. game.

In the final set, Cerritos took an early 4-3 lead, but the Lancers put together a 6-2 run and held a 10-6 advantage. The Falcons rallied on a pair of service aces by freshman Nicole Spigner (La Mirada HS) to get to within 12-10. But three kills from PCC's Nora To'omalatai finished off Cerritos by the tune of 15-12.

The Falcons had a chance to take a 2-1 set lead when they led 22-20 in the third set. But they were unable to put away the Lancers. A kill by freshman Valerie Montoya (La Mirada HS) and an attack error gave the team a 22-20 lead, but a service ace and two kills from Thula Parks put Pasadena City up, 23-22. Needing a point while down 24-23, an attack error (one of 28 on the night) gave the Lancers the win.

In the fourth set, the team was down 11-10, but slowly pulled away on a Spigner ace, three kills from freshman Jasmynne Roberts (Long Beach Poly HS) and two from Montoya. Freshman Amanda Payne (Orange Lutheran HS) drove home two of the final three points for a 24-16 win, with that momentum carrying the team into the fifth and deciding set.

On the night, Roberts led the team with 16 kills and 13 digs, while Payne accounted for 11 kills and 10 digs. The Falcons played without sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Castro (Santa Fe HS), which affected their substitution rotation. Spigner stepped up and recorded 12 digs, four aces and three assists, with Montoya (six kills) also playing well. Freshman Brianna Gutierrez (St. Matthias HS) finished with seven kills, while the tandem of freshmen Michelle Barba (Downey HS) and Crissy Silavong (Katella HS) combined for 39 assists and 12 digs.