Warriors Outlast L.A. Pierce for Upset Win

Warriors Outlast L.A. Pierce for Upset Win

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Aiko Waters notched a double-double as No. 15 El Camino College scored a big upset victory over No. 4 L.A. Pierce 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 24-26, 25-14, 15-13) Wednesday night at L.A. Pierce.

Waters led the Warriors (14-4) with 18 kills and 12 digs and added three blocks and two aces. Jerephina Leilua and Jaylin Motley each had eight kills while Sarah Dyer also recorded a double-double with 22 assists and 12 digs. Keily Morimoto added 19 assists and Kiana Takahashi recorded 14 digs .

"It was a great all around effort," said Warriors head coach Liz Hazell. "We struggled a little in games two and three but everyone showed great fight and grit to battle back and win it in five. It's been a long time since we won at Pierce so everyone was pretty excited about the win."

The victory was sweet for Hazell, who had never won at Pierce in her time at ECC as a player and assistant coach, which goes back to 2000.

Jossie Tomita contributed 12 digs for the Warriors, something that Hazell said was a big factor in the victory.

"She played great coming in the back row for Jaylin," Hazell said. "Her digging was a great spark for us."

The Warriors opened the match by taking the first set but the Brahmas answered with two straight wins in sets two and three, needing overtime in the third.

Not to be outdone, the Warriors jumped all over the Brahmas in the fourth, leading the set 18-6 at one point en route to a double-digit win in the frame to force a decisive fifth set, which the Warriors won by the slimmest of margins.

The Warriors finished their season-high five-game road swing by winning the last three matches. They return home to the ECC South Gym on Friday night to face Chaffey in a South Coast Conference crossover matchup. First serve is set for 6 p.m.