{"id":5528,"date":"2008-10-02T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2008-10-02T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/sports\/lbcc-women-s-volleyball-loses-tug-of-war-with-mesa\/"},"modified":"2008-10-02T08:15:00","modified_gmt":"2008-10-02T08:15:00","slug":"lbcc-women-s-volleyball-loses-tug-of-war-with-mesa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/lbcc-women-s-volleyball-loses-tug-of-war-with-mesa","title":{"rendered":"LBCC Women’s Volleyball Loses Tug-Of-War With Mesa"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
LBCC’s five set loss to the San Diego Mesa Olympians was everything that I love about sports in this city. <\/span>I don’t mean the loss, of course—but in 24 years of living in Long Beach and watching sports, I can’t think of five evenings that surprised me more than the Vikings\/Olympians match on Wednesday. <\/span>The game was played in the little gym on the LBCC Liberal Arts campus: the stands were filled, and raucous, an atmosphere head coach Suzie Witmer says they’ve had every home game so far this season. <\/span>The players were talented, passionate, and more, they actually cared<\/i><\/span> about the game, and each other. <\/span>They cared visibly, unconsciously, and naturally—the way you want to see an athlete, on any level, care about what they’re doing.<\/span><\/p>\n
Of course, I wouldn’t have had such a good time if the game itself hadn’t been something special. <\/span>The Vikings were 7-1 coming into the match, and I knew they were good. <\/span>I also knew they were playing a team in the Olympians who were just as talented—Mesa eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs last year. <\/span>But the first set opened with the Vikings looking dominant, sprinting out to an early lead before it tightened mid-set, staying that way until coach Witmer called her final timeout at 23-23. <\/span>After that, the Olympians came out stomping, and won the first set 26-24.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n