WHITTIER – Led by a match-high 23 kills from Maria Bejines, the No. 15 state-ranked Rio Hondo College women's volleyball team continued its run to a South Coast Conference title with a hard-fought 3-1 win over No. 17 Mt. San Antonio College on Wednesday night.

"I'm extremely proud of our squad for battling hard against a solid Mt SAC," said Rio Hondo head coach Teddi Esko. "We stuck to our game plan, executed, and fought until the very end to pull out another big SCC win."

With four conference contests left to play, the Roadrunners continue to hold a slim one-match lead over second-place Long Beach. Wednesday's 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18 win improved Rio Hondo to 16-4 overall and 11-1 in the SCC.

Bejines was solid once again for the Roadrunners. Her 23 kills were a new career-high for the sophomore. She also added 15 digs, 2 aces, and had a block.

"Maria Bejines was our glue player tonight," said Esko. "She is so steady with her game play, ball control and was clutch in critical moments."
 
Jade Fuentes totaled 10 kills and 15 digs, Jayleen Garcia chipped in with 9 kills, and Carly Kejmar posted a team-best 23 assists to go with 10 digs.

"This team has such grit," Esko said. "Even with a several-point deficit, they dig deep and find ways to compete and come out on top."

Rio Hondo returns to the court on Friday (Oct. 27) when it travels to East Los Angeles College for a 5 p.m. SCC match.