Volleyball Recap: James Lopez Key Part of Team Effort in Thunderbirds Win

On Thursday, the Yucaipa Thunderbirds had just enough and edged out the Liberty Bison 3-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunderbirds.

If you add up the scores from across all five sets (116-108) Yucaipa actually scored fewer points, but in the end it didn't matter. The final score came out to 24-26, 26-24, 28-26, 13-25, 17-15.

Yucaipa's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from James Lopez, who had nine digs and five aces. That's the most aces Lopez has posted since back in March of 2024. Van Johnson also deserves some recognition as he had his first kill of the season.

Liberty's loss came despite strong showings from Jeremy Mallabo and Somuandina Igwedinma. Mallabo had 20 digs and two assists, while Igwedinma had 15 kills, 11 blocks, and six digs. Igwedinma is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now had two or more in each of the last 22 games he's played dating back to last season.

Yucaipa's win bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Liberty, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-5 record this season.

Yucaipa will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Citrus Valley at 5:00 p.m. The matchup will give Citrus Valley their first taste of in-conferenceaction this season. As for Liberty, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 2-0 victory against Cathedral City on the 8th.