Week 10 of the Big 8 conference consisted of two very similar, competitive, and challenging matches for the ARC Beavers. Both went to 5 sets with a lot of similarities in the box scores.

On October 22nd, the Beavers played Cosumnes River College on Clark Court. The Hawks hosted a pink-out game to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. The first half of the first set didn't feel led by either team; both teams took turns going on runs and leading in points. In the second half, the Beavers took the lead and kept it, finishing 25-18. They hit an overall .290. The Hawks led the second set, maintaining about double the points of the Beavers. The score went from 7-14 to 11-15, Beavs riding a big wave, pushing for momentum. CRC kept their lead and won the set, 19-25. The Beavers hit a .158. Continuing some energetic patterns, the Beavs won the 3rd set 25-16 (hitting .341), and the Hawks won the 4th set 21-25 (Beavs hitting .130). A lot of pressure built up around the 5th set. CRC won the coin toss and chose to start on the side where both teams won their sets. The space was incredibly charged, the Beavs feeling tight. The Hawks led 5-8 at the time of the side-switch. Immediately after moving to the other side of the net, ARC caught the scores up to 8-8. The push and pull of the energy continued, and a timeout was called at 12-13. They met again at 14-14, entering a deuce. With some tough calls made by the officials in the endgame, the Beavs felt ungrounded. The match wrapped up with the Hawks taking the 5th set 16-18. Both teams competed fiercely, putting it all out there on the court.

On October 24th, the Beavs played Sacramento City College in the Beaver Den. In the first set, the Beavers carried themselves very well, taking the set 25-10. They went on multiple serving runs and stayed aggressive on offense. In the second set, both teams did the dance, played high-level volleyball, and put on quite an exciting show for the audience. Neither team was able to maintain more than a 2-point lead until, after the teams met at 20-20, the SCC Panthers went on a 5-point run to finish the 2nd set. The Panthers maintained a significant lead in the score throughout the 3rd set, taking it 17-25. The tide shifted in the 4th set, and the Beavers led comfortably, taking the set 25-21. Taking the match to a 5th set for the second time that week, the Beavers and Panthers were neck-and-neck, the Beavs with a small lead. At 7-7, the Panthers pushed one, and the side switch came. SCC led by a couple of points until the collectives tied up at 14-14, the second time in the week for the Beavs. A Panther kill, followed by a Beaver kill, put them at 15-15. Sac City pushed 2, taking the 5th set. 

With two tough 5-set losses for the Beavers, they came out of the week stronger than before. They showcased their resilience, teamwork, and effort with togetherness. Stay tuned for the Week 11 recaps coming soon!