Story and photo by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

Led by double-digit kill totals from sophomores Grace Ferguson and Madison Martinez, College of the Canyons jumped out to an early first set advantage and never looked back, sweeping visiting Antelope Valley College 3-0. Set scores were 25-12, 25-20, 25-18.

Canyons (6-6, 2-1) has found the win column in four of its last five outings, with the lone loss coming vs. No. 9 state ranked and conference rival Bakersfield College.

The Cougars hit .392 for the match, with Ferguson and Martinez both swinging with extreme efficiency.

Ferguson hit at a . 600 clip with 11 kills to go with six aces and three blocks. Martinez recorded 10 kills on 16 swings with no errors.

Canyons began the match scorching hot, quickly establishing a 9-1 lead which prompted an AVC timeout. The pause in action did not slow down the Cougars, however, as the advantage quickly ballooned to 18-5 before the Marauders were closed out.

The gap narrowed a bit after the two teams switched sides with a back-and-forth exchange that saw the match tied at 8-8. After falling four points back Canyons used a timeout and was able to regroup. With Elizabeth Gannon at the backline Canyons put together a run that allowed the Cougars to tie the game at 15-15. Gannon had seven aces in the game and also made a contribution with seven kills. COC was able to ride that surge to a 20-17 lead and eventual 25-20 set victory.

Despite a close third set, Canyons never lost control of the match eventually holding on for the sweep.

Kayla Tait had another strong outing with seven kills and 11 digs, while setters Sydney Higginson and Cecilia Giovannini finished with 21 and 13 assists, respectively.

AVC (5-6, 1-1) had won three straight before visiting the Cougars. The Marauders currently sit fourth in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division.

Canyons is tied for second in the conference with Glendale College (5-7, 2-1) one game back of leading Bakersfield (11-2, 3-0)

The Cougars will take a brief pause from its conference schedule to face Mt. San Antonio College in a contest that was originally scheduled for Sept. 4, but had to be postponed due to a facilities issue on the Mt. SAC campus

WSC play resumes on Wednesday, Oct. 9, when the Cougars travel to Glendale College for a 6 p.m. first serve.

COC’s next home match will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Citrus College. Fans are remined that all 2019 Cougars women’s volleyball games will be played at The Master’s University.

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 Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.