Spartan middle Lela DeCecco hits between the Pierce block in a match on Sept. 25 in Arbuckle.

ARBCUKLE, CA (MPG) – Coming off their win at the Carmichael Small School Invitational on Sept. 20, East Nicolaus saw its 10-match win streak come to an end last Thursday night in Arbuckle as they fell 15-25, 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 11-15 to the Bears in a Sacramento Valley League match.

At the onset it was a back-and-forth affair between the two powerhouse squads, but despite having the initial advantage at the net, the Spartans were kept out of system for the second half of the first set as Pierce powered ahead to claim the first set.

Yet the four-time defending Northern Section Division V champions fought back with strong all-around play and took both the second and third sets.

East Nic’s Kendall Kocher passes a ball in the Spartans match against Pierce on Sept. 25.

Now leading 2-1, the momentum began to swing the Bears way as they ramped up the level on both the attack and at the service stripe to set up a decisive fifth set.

Although Pierce jumped out to a 7-1 lead, East Nicolaus pulled within two at 11-13, but could get no closer as the Bears surged ahead to victory.

Kendall Kocher led the Spartan effort with 18 kills and 19 digs, while Makinze Massey did her fair share as well, hitting at a .432 clip to tally 16 kills and 21 digs.

Lela DeCecco was a force in the middle with seven blocks and seven kills despite exiting for a time with an injury.

Setter Shelby Scroggins performed admirably running the attack as she handed out 42 assists.

In the back row Ashlynn Tagala made a team-high 24 digs.

Setter Shelby Scroggins handed out 42 assists in East Nic’s 2-3 loss to Pierce.

Despite seeing their dominance over the Bears come to an end, earlier in the week the Spartans swept Colusa 25-18, 25-20, 27-25.

On the night, DeCecco and Kocher accounted for 11 and 10 kills respectively, while Scroggins dished out 27 assists.

Tagala again led the Spartans in digs with 14.

This week East Nic (26-3) had a showdown with Durham on the road Tuesday, in which it needed a win to pull even with the Trojans at the top of the Sacramento Valley League standings, before making the trip to face Paradise on Thursday.