For the first time in nine seasons, the Cerritos College volleyball team had a new leader on the bench, as Ashleigh Atsaros took over the head coaching duties for the 2025 season. The Falcons rewarded the new head coach with a win in her first match, as the Falcons swept past visiting Santa Ana College, 25-20, 25-13, 25-21 on Friday. They will host her former team - Riverside City College - on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in another non-conference match.

Locked in a tight first set where the lead changed hands several times, Cerritos broke a 16-16 tie with seven consecutive points to pull away for the set win. With freshman Gabriella Colombo (Cerritos HS) serving, the Falcons took advantage of three Dons attack errors, while a service ace and kills from Evelyn Soto-Castro (Schurr HS) and Isabela Torres (Gahr HS), respectively, aided the team.

A quick 4-0 lead to start the second set helped the Falcons maintain their momentum and before Santa Ana could catch their breath, it was a 15-3 Cerritos advantage. Freshmen Elizabeth Beltran (Santa Fe HS) and Jordin Lewis (Warren HS) each recorded a pair of kills to help open the lead, which also included three service aces.

Extending their bench in the second set and in the third, the two teams remained close through the first half until a pair of kills from freshman Tiffany Teats (Warren HS) and an ace from Soto-Castro helped open a 15-9 advantage. The Dons closed to within 20-17, but three consecutive attack errors and a kill from freshman Vanessa Linares (Warren HS) got the team to match point before Lewis closed it out with her team-leading 14th kill of the night.

Along with Lewis, Cerritos received eight kills from sophomore Daniela Luna (Walnut HS/Riverside City College), while Teats and Beltran (10 digs) each contributed six kills. Soto-Castro added four kills to her 32 assists and five service aces.

Photos by Daryl Peterson