I was surprised that Los Angeles Pierce did give us a game. It did take them the third set to finally show up. However, early on signs were pointing to a sweep.
In the first match, the Vikings were keeping pace with the Brahmas until we pulled through late to win 30-28. However, in the second set, tempers flared on the Pierce end and one of their players was sent off for arguing with the official and delaying the game.
It was a unusual sight. I never saw a junior college match that saw a player get redded. But here's the thing: Pierce College was going through a tough season. They were 4-12 (4-5 WSC) and needed to finish a tough year on the right note. However, a few of the players continued to argue with the officials and even I was telling them, "Enough! Get on with it; know where you are you punks!" They still argued.
That reminded me of something: a few weeks ago, I applied for a lifetime membership to the LBCC Alumni Association. for $250...I ended up getting a red piece of construction paper with black print for a card.
I felt cheated. Couldn't they have treated me with respect and used red plastic and did it in the way of the CSULB Alumni Association? To give my card some of the dignity it lost, I had it laminated at STAPLES for a buck and change. That's $251 and change for the entire lifetime membership.
Knowing that a red card in volleyball is an automatic expulsion, I pulled it out and showed it to the crowd as a strong suggestiong of what this official should do. If I'm the white maggot on top making the calls, I'm not messing around; this guy is gone. And so he was. Because of that, LBCC won the second set.
What irked me is the inability of this team to close the deal. In the third and fourth sets, I watched the Vikings squander their chances. Bad serves. Terrible digs. And too much improvisation. They were out of position, and I was not pleased by this.
So I told them, as the fifth game began, "You WILL finish the job, or you're gonna be one and done at OCC two Thursdays from now!" Understanding my frustration, they torched Pierce 15-7.
