Volleyball Recap: Angelina Mercado Key Part of Team Effort in Bulldogs Win + How To Watch

Emma Nunez

Digs

10/06/25 vs Walnut	61
10/01/25 vs Glendora	8
09/29/25 vs Bonita	13
09/24/25 @ Claremont	7
09/22/25 vs Diamond Bar	10
+ 6 more games

If Walnut wanted to avenge their loss from the last time they played Ayala, they should've done a better job of containing Emma Nunez. The Bulldogs came out on top against the Mustangs by a score of 3-1 on Monday for which the team can thank Nunez, who had 61 digs and two aces. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 12.8 digs per game.

The match finished with set scores of 25-14, 25-27, 25-8, 25-18.

Ayala's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Angelina Mercado led the charge by getting 31 digs, 14 kills, and three blocks. That's the most blocks Mercado has posted since back in September. The team also got some help courtesy of Miki Kiuchi, who had 13 digs and three aces.

Ayala was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 13 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least seven aces in three consecutive contests.

Walnut lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Joya Shen, who had 14 digs and four aces. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had ten or more in each of the last 11 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kalea Sunabe, who had 20 assists and seven digs.

Ayala's record now sits at 14-12. As for Walnut, their defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 11-16.

Ayala didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 3-1 victory against Diamond Bar on the 8th. As for Walnut, they have also already played their next match, a 3-1 win against Bonita on the 8th.