As befits Halloween week, things got a bit scary for the state's 4th-ranked squad Wednesday night in Salinas. But, the West Valley volleyball team staved off hungry Hartnell 25-16, 16-25, 25-15, 27-25 for its first win in Salinas since 2013.

The Vikings (14-3, 7-0 Coast-South) rallied from a 12-9 deficit in the opening set, outscoring the Panthers (11-10, 4-3 Coast-North) 16-4, to take it 25-16. It then turned spooky for WVC in the second set, when Hartnell returned the favor with a 25-16 win. The set loss was the first for the Vikings in seven 2021 Coast Conference contests.

The Vikings were in command throughout the third, taking the 25-15 victory and setting up a dramatic back-and-forth fourth set. The Panthers overcame two match points before Taylor Tullo sent a Sydney Rogers set through a pair of defenders to secure the 27-25 win. 

Tullo finished with a match-high 18 kills, along with four important digs. Katie Kishton was all over the stat sheet with 14 kills, five digs and a pair of service aces, Kate Blackwell had four digs and three aces. Sydney Rogers handed out a match-high 32 assists, and Hailey Keith recorded 12 helpers.

The Vikings host San Jose City College (0-7, 0-7 Coast-North) Friday, Oct. 29, in the first of four straight conference home matches. First serve is 6:30pm.