LMC finished the season strong with a dominant performance as Himani Bakshi was honored as the only sophomore to close out the season. The Los Medanos College Mustangs ended their season with a big 3–1 victory over College of Marin on Sophomore Night, a great sendoff for the team’s only sophomore, libero and setter No. 1 Himani Bakshi who led the offense as the anchor with 36 assists in her final game.
From the opening serve, LMC was energized. No. 4 Toni Camacho set the tone with an early block, and the Mustangs’ communication was sharp as they traded points to a 5–5 tie. Bakshi kept plays alive with close saves leading LMC to a 10–7 advantage. Their back line didn’t let anything hit the floor, pushing 13–11.
“We wanted it more” Bakshi said of the team’s energy. “Last time they beat us, and they came in thinking they would again. My teammates wanted this, and that made me push too.”
After forcing Marin into a timeout at 14–11, the Mustangs exploded with a seven point rally fueled by incredible swings from No. 7 Mya Williams 10 kills and No. 10 Fetuloa Te’o 11 kills. LMC closed the first set beautifully 25–18.
The second set opened with fast rallies, but Marin capitalized on LMC’s mistakes to jump ahead 11–4. LMC’s momentum dipped, and communication weakened a bit but Te’o and Bakshi responded with strong swings and advantageous placements. Camacho with 3 kills had a wicked spike that helped LMC dwindle the deficit down to 14–9.
Still, Marin’s early lead was too difficult to erase. Despite a highlight block from No. 15 Wonder White who finished with 9 kills and 2 solo blocks the Mustangs dropped the set 17–25.
Gwen Loebs Staeps who put in 8 kills and 3 aces, said her team was composed even with the setback. “I always come in playing for a win. I just tell myself to put everything in the past and perform. And today, everyone played their game.”
The third set opened up tense, with LMC falling behind 2–4 before No. 4’s serving run tied it at 5–5. A burst from Loebs Staeps and Wonder White pushed the Mustangs ahead 8–6.
A key up close block by Camacho put LMC up 13–12. The Mustangs then just sent out a flurry of five straight points, forcing Marin to burn another timeout at 18–12. Even though Marin battled back to 21–18, LMC stayed determined and closed the set 25–19, driven by the defense’s 70 total digs led by Mustedanagic 18 digs and Williams 11 digs which played such a primary role in Friday’s win.
As the fourth set began, Marin scored first, but the Mustangs quickly flipped that score with a 4-point rally to lead 6–2. Bakshi dropped in a heavy spike to widen their lead, and the Mustangs played some of their best volleyball of the season and they completely came together as a team, maintaining control at 10–8.
Coach Taylor Thompson said where the team’s mind was at made the difference.“These are wins we should’ve been getting all season. But knowing it was Himani’s last game, and our last game, we had nothing to lose. They put it all out there.”
LMC continued attacking, not letting up at all. White added another kill, Williams hammered attacks from the outside, and Loebs Staeps’ serving pressure created separation on Marin’s team. With Bakshi sending tough balls across the net, the Mustangs extended the lead to 23–18 and closed out the final set 25–19, closing out the season with a win.
For Bakshi, the night was emotional, “I didn’t even prepare normally—we just had fun yesterday,” she said. “I’m so happy. We started with more players, people quit, even starters quit, but we stuck together. I’m proud of us.”
Thompson said tonight was an example and showed the team’s perseverance through a fluctuant season. “These eight girls stuck through everything. Losses, roster changes, long stretches with no subs they stayed committed. And we finished with a win. I’m proud of them.”
The Mustangs ended the match with 42 kills, 13 aces, 70 digs and 52 total points, one of their strongest games the year. Along with it being on Sophomore Night, the team comes together to fight for a well deserved emotional finale.
