No. 24 Lady Cougars Begin Conference Play in Winning Fashion

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

GLENDORA — No. 24 College of the Canyons began Western State Conference (WSC), South Division play with a 3-1 road victory at Citrus College on Wednesday, behind a 10-kill night from sophomore Leah Gillie. Set scores were 25-14, 14-25, 25-17, 25-17.

Canyons (6-7, 1-0) served up 13 aces and came away with a combined 17 blocks in downing Citrus (1-8, 0-1). The Owls rallied for a second-set victory but were otherwise contained by the COC squad.

Gillie's 10 kills led Canyons, same for her four block assists. The sophomore also finished with a solo block and three aces across the four sets.

Ana Vasquez and Madison Andrews both finished with six kills. Sofia Miranda had four and Celeste Anaya finished with three kills and an ace.

Kaitlyn Vazin tied for the game-high with four aces to go with six digs. Vasquez led COC with seven digs, while Presley Golphenee ended her night with six digs and a pair of aces.  

Sophia Aranzazu distributed 19 assists with two kills, a pair of block assists and two digs.

Canyons entered Wednesday's match as the No. 24 team in the state, and the No. 15 program in Southern California, according to the most recent California Community College Women's Volleyball Coaches Association (CCCWVCA) rankings released Sept. 30.

The conference victory vs. Citrus puts the Lady Cougars back in the win column after a three-game losing streak dating back to Sept. 20. Those loses came against three state-ranked opponents in Moorpark College, Santa Barbara City College and Ventura College.

Up next, COC returns to the Cougar Cage on Friday, Oct. 4, to host Glendale College (3-9, 0-1) in another WSC, South Division match. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Robert Hanashiro/COC Sports Information