The San Diego Mesa College women's volleyball team, seeded #1, will be hosting Santa Barbara City College on Tuesday, November 21 in the second round of the 3C2A Regional Playoffs. This will be the second consecutive year both teams battle in the playoffs. Last season, the #16 Vaqueros upset #4 Mesa College in a five set 2-3 thriller (25-17, 24-26, 18-25, 25-10, 13-15). 

No stranger to each other's program, both battled at the start of the 2023 campaign at the SBCC Quad on September 2. The Olympians defeated the Vaqueros 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-16). Stall-Vest is quick to remind her team that they can't assume anything and or be overly confident. "We played them in week one, and that early into the season, no one is quite sure who their team is," adds Stall-Vest. "They will be much improved and we'll have to bring our level up. It will be a battle and we accept the challenge and look forward to it."

Santa Barbara City College finished 16-10 overall and 8-2 in the Western State Conference, sharing the title crown for the second time in three years. The Vaqueros feature 5'11 OPP/OH sophomore Heidi Collins, who led the team with 176 kills and 195 points. As a team, the Vaqueros have a 10.05 kills per set, 9.80 assists per set, 1.58 blocks per set, 2.04 service aces per set, and 12.66 digs per set. 

The Olympians finished 24-2 overall and 14-2 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference. In 26 matches, the Olympians boast a 13.09 kills per set, 12.29 assists per set, 2.68 blocks per set, 2.84 service aces per set, and 14.24 digs per set. 

Sophomore Kailyn Jaeger, an  AVCA All-American, will lead the Olympians with 447.5 points and 379 kills. Jaeger led the PCAC in kills, kills per set, second in hitting percentage, fifth in digs, and fourth in aces. She's also ranked in the top 4 best attackers in the southern region and top 5 in the state. 

"We are excited to play good volleyball," states head coach Bobbie Jo Stall-Vest. "We are in a great position being the #1 seed, and looking forward to the rematch and settling the score."