The Diablo Valley College Vikings won big against the Sacramento City Panthers in four sets 25-19, 25-22, 11-25, 25-14 putting their record at 1-3.

Coming off a four game losing streak in the Big 8 conference, Vikings volleyball came into the night ready to get their first win at home.

The Vikings started the first set strong by scoring the first point of the game. Both teams were close until DVC co-captain Jontara West got two aces bringing the score to 10-8 forcing the Panthers to call a timeout and slow down the Vikings momentum.

The Panthers’ attempt to slow down the Vikings failed when West got two more aces, putting the Vikings ahead by four points. The Vikings kept the lead throughout the rest of the first set, ending at 25-19.

The second set started with the Vikings losing their first ball on serve receive, but they recovered fast with a quick set to pin hitter Gabby Chase who got two back to back kills bringing the score to 3-1. The game continued to go back and forth until Vikings co-captain Tida Twitchen went on a five point serving run leaving the score 19-14. Leaving the Panthers with their backs against the wall, head coach Jackie Ponciano-Babb decided to call a timeout to prepare the subs and the changing of their 5-1 setter that would happen after the timeout. With the break, the team was prepared and continued to end the set strong with the score being 25-22.

With two sets under the Vikings’ belt, they were confident coming into the third set. Vikings assistant coach Ruthie Ignacio motivated her players by keeping them level headed, saying “the games not over yet,” keeping the girls ready for the battle that the Panthers would bring that set. When the Vikings started the game with a five point lead, it seemed that the Panthers were going to fall over. However, the Panthers did not give up, going on an eight point streak, putting Sac City just one point behind at 7-8.

The Panthers pulled ahead by eight points forcing the Vikings to use both of their timeouts within points of each other, 11-19. The Vikings couldn’t recover from the Panthers aggressive serves and offense, ending the set 11-25.

In the fourth set, the Vikings stayed ahead of the Panthers, sharing aces and kills to all players on the court, ending the match 25-14.

When asked about the Vikings’ first Big 8 win, co-captain Twitchen said “having our first conference win is really going to boost our confidence to continue working hard and having fun for the rest of the season.”

DVC’s next home game is on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m against Folsom Lake.