Eagles Outlast Desert in Five-Set Thriller
The Los Angeles Mission College Eagles capped off Day Two of their home tournament with a dramatic five-set victory over College of the Desert, rallying late to secure a 3–2 win
Eagles Outlast Desert in Five-Set Thriller
Sylmar, CA — August 23, 2025
The Los Angeles Mission College Eagles capped off Day Two of their home tournament with a dramatic five-set victory over College of the Desert, rallying late to secure a 3–2 win (21–25, 25–15, 25–16, 23–25, 15–13). The match had everything—momentum swings, long rallies, and clutch plays—as Mission held its composure to remain undefeated on the young season.
Offensive Firepower
The Eagles' outside hitters delivered in a big way.
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Maddie Perry was unstoppable, blasting 23 kills on .308 hitting while adding 3 blocks for a 25-point performance.
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Tawnie Ohrt matched Perry's dominance with 23 kills of her own, along with 6 digs, finishing with 24 points.
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Amya Cheatham January anchored the middle, scoring 8 kills and controlling the net with 5 solo blocks and 6 block assists (16 points).
Together, Perry and Ohrt combined for nearly half of Mission's 61 total kills.
Setting and Serving
Setter Natalee Becariarashid kept the offense humming, handing out 46 assists while mixing in 4 service aces and 13 digs. The Eagles finished with 11 aces as a team, keeping Desert under pressure from the service line.
Defensively, libero Rio Sandaiji was everywhere, piling up a team-high 27 digs to spark transition opportunities. Sofia Vazquez added 19 digs and 3 aces, while Nereyda Cabrales contributed 5 kills and 7 block assists in a strong two-way effort.
Set-by-Set Recap
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Set 1 (21–25 Desert): Desert struck first, hitting .270 and using strong swings from Leslie Delgado (20 kills) to edge Mission.
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Set 2 (25–15 Eagles): Mission roared back behind tough serving and Perry's hot hand, evening the match.
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Set 3 (25–16 Eagles): The Eagles rolled, with Ohrt and January leading the attack as Desert struggled to find answers.
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Set 4 (23–25 Desert): A tight set went down to the wire, but Desert used timely kills to force a decisive fifth.
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Set 5 (15–13 Eagles): With the crowd on edge, Mission leaned on Perry and Ohrt down the stretch. Big blocks from January sealed the comeback win.