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Pima College Volleyball’s Bright future
Features, Sports

Pima College Volleyball’s Bright future

Photo courtesy of Pima College Athletics Pima Community College outside hitter Jessica Bright-Schade has accrued over 70 kills and nearly 100 digs. By Nate Martinez Pima’s volleyball team did not have an easy schedule last season, but outside hitter Jessica Bright-Schade and the Aztecs made history by advancing to their first national tournament. Due to COVID, it was difficult to find ACCAC teams that could play regular season games, leaving Pima with a slate of NJCAA Division I competition. Despite the elevated level of competition, the Aztecs, who compete in Division II, were able to secure a spot in the NJCAA tournament in April. The team lost to Grand Rapids Community College in the consolation rounds, but given the circumstances, the run was amazing. This year, th...
Amparano attributes team chemistry to wins
Sports

Amparano attributes team chemistry to wins

By Nate Martinez Pima Community College Aztec women’s soccer has enjoyed a lot of success the past couple seasons, and a big reason for that is Salpointe Catholic High School graduate Angelina Amparano. Pima is off to a 3-0 start after upsetting No. 2 Phoenix College in its home opener and then shutting out its next two opponents while scoring 11 goals. “Our team chemistry worked well that game,” Amparano said of the win over Phoenix College. “We all worked together, so it was a team effort.” The sophomore goaltender has been stellar since allowing only one score and saving seven shots against Phoenix College. In her second match, Amparano made 12 saves in a shutout against Glendale and then 3 saves against Mesa. Two dominant outings at the net earned her ACCAC Player of ...
Champions League Group Predictions
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Champions League Group Predictions

By Alex Jimenez The Union of European Football Associations Champions League, soccer’s most prestigious club competition, returns this week, after one of the most hectic transfer windows in history closes. The two biggest names in soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, will be lining up next to new teammates in the 2021-2022 iteration of the UCL - with the latter making a move nobody expected; joining Paris Saint-Germain after Barcelona’s financial crisis forced them to let Messi walk free.   The Champions League group stage consists of eight-four team groups. Each team plays the opposing three teams in the group on two separate occasions, once at home and once away, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the round of 16.  Here is a closer look at...
Rivalry Rematch To Kick Off Soccer Season
News, Sports

Rivalry Rematch To Kick Off Soccer Season

By Alex Jimenez The Pima Community College men’s soccer team is set to take on Phoenix College in its opening game of the 2021-2022 season at 8 p.m. Saturday at Kino North Grandstand.  The rivalry is a must-watch game every season and a rematch of last season’s Region I Championship game.  “The biggest obstacle every year is Phoenix College,” said Pima’s men’s soccer coach David Cosgrove. “They are a really difficult opponent to come out on.  “Phoenix College has the ability to change our style and change our tactics, they’re very organized and work extremely hard... They have very good individual players, athletic and technical. We need to be disciplined defensively and organized in transition.” Both schools have cemented themselves as two of the top soccer p...
Aztecs Baseball Sweeps Paradise Valley CC For 10th Straight Win
Sports

Aztecs Baseball Sweeps Paradise Valley CC For 10th Straight Win

By Raymond Suarez The Pima Community College baseball team (20-6, 13-5 in ACCAC) continued its hot streak on Saturday as the Aztecs scored 25 runs to overwhelm Paradise Valley Community College (2-23, 2-16). Freshman Jose Enriquez was a force at the plate as he finished the day 5 for 8 with seven RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Angel Ochoa (Canyon del Oro HS) was 5 for 6 with three RBIs and two runs while freshman Daniel Durazo (Salpointe Catholic HS) went 4 for 6 with two RBIs and a run. Freshman Bradon Zastrow and sophomore Noah Estrella (Flowing Wells HS) provided strong starts on the mound and picked up the wins. Game 1: Pima CC Aztecs 10, Paradise Valley CC Pumas 1 PCC     1 2 0 4 3 0 0   10 11 2 PVCC  0 0 0 1 0 0 0    1   5  1 The Aztecs took the early lead and provided a cushion...
Mason Lee Wins Both Matches But Aztecs Men’s Tennis Falls at Mesa CC
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Mason Lee Wins Both Matches But Aztecs Men’s Tennis Falls at Mesa CC

By Raymond Suarez The Pima Community College men's tennis team (0-2) played a match on the road on Thursday at Mesa Community College. The No. 16 ranked Aztecs fell to the No. 17 ranked Thunderbirds 6-3. Freshman Mason Lee (Catalina Foothills HS) won both his single and double match-ups on the day. Lee along with No. 1 doubles partner Corey Pabst, defeated Beto Carlon and Cameron Khan 8-4. Lee went on to beat Khan in their No. 3 singles match 6-3, 6-3. Sophomore Landon Strickland provided the other victory for the Aztecs as he won a third-set tiebreaker over Max Beasley 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 at No. 5 singles. Strickland and No. 3 doubles partner Emanuel Robles-Serrano (Desert View HS) lost to Emilio Alvarado and Hung Pham 8-5. Robles-Serrano fell at No. 6 singles to Pham 6-3, 6-3. Pabst...
Kelch, Enriquez and Acevedo Homer as Aztecs Baseball Wins 8th Straight
Sports

Kelch, Enriquez and Acevedo Homer as Aztecs Baseball Wins 8th Straight

By Raymond Suarez The Pima Community College baseball team (18-6) took command early on Thursday in its non-conference game against Community Christian College. The Aztecs defeated the Saints 13-3 in 8 innings as freshman Alec Acevedo (Nogales HS) hit a leadoff walk-off home run to end it with a run-rule victory. The Aztecs did their damage in the early innings as they scored five runs in the 1st and seven runs in the 3rd inning. Pima got on the board in the 1st inning when freshman Bradon Zastrow hit a sacrifice-fly RBI to score freshman Parker Schmidt. Sophomore Terrell Huggins (Cienega HS) hit a 2-run RBI single to bring in freshman Jose Enriquez and freshman Daniel Durazo (Salpointe Catholic HS). Freshman Romeo Ballesteros (Salpointe Catholic HS) followed suit with a 2-run RBI s...
Aztecs Volleyball Drops Two Matches at Yavapai College
Sports

Aztecs Volleyball Drops Two Matches at Yavapai College

By Raymond Suarez The Pima Community College volleyball team (0-7) played two matches on Friday at Yavapai College (10-5). Sophomore Aydalis Felix (Rincon HS) totaled 46 digs in the two matches while sophomore Eve Pearson (Canyon del Oro HS) finished the day with 13 kills. Match 1: Yavapai College Roughriders 3, Pima CC Aztecs 0 (25-8, 25-19, 25-16): The Aztecs fell behind early in the first set dropping 13 of the first 16 points but in the second set they took an early lead. With the score tied at 6-6, the Roughriders scored five straight points to take the lead for good. As the set progressed, the Aztecs were able to close the gap to five points but that's as close as they would get. The Aztecs started the third set with another early advantage. With the score tied at 13-13, the Rough...
Ballesteros Hits Walk-Off RBI Single as Aztecs Baseball Sweeps Yavapai College
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Ballesteros Hits Walk-Off RBI Single as Aztecs Baseball Sweeps Yavapai College

By Raymond Suarez The Pima Community College baseball team (14-6, 9-5 in ACCAC) earned its second straight ACCAC sweep on Saturday as it defeated Yavapai College (12-11, 7-7). Freshman Romeo Ballesteros (Salpointe Catholic HS) provided some clutch hitting going 3 for 6 with three RBIs. Freshman Parker Schmidt finished the day 2 for 8 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomores Angel Ochoa (Canyon del Oro HS) and Terrell Huggins (Cienega HS) did their damage at the plate in the second game. Game 1: Pima CC Aztecs 5, Yavapai College Roughriders 4 (8 innings) Ballesteros sealed the win with an RBI single in the 8th inning bringing in freshman Fernando Loera. The Aztecs trailed 3-0 after the 1st inning and responded with four runs in the 2nd. Ochoa, Huggins and Ballesteros drew walks to loa...
Aztecs men’s golf closes out third tournament at Glendale Invitational
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Aztecs men’s golf closes out third tournament at Glendale Invitational

By Raymond Suarez The Pima Community College men's golf team played in its third tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Glendale Invitational at the Corte Bella Golf Club in Sun City, AZ. Sophomore Connor Wierman (Ironwood Ridge HS) had the best two-day total for the Aztecs. He finished tied for 12th in the individual standings after shooting a 151. He shot a 4-over par 76 in the first round and closed out the final round with a 3-over par 75. Freshman Andrew Rivas (Canyon del Oro HS) had a 5-stroke improvement in his second round as he finished with a 79. He closed out the tournament with a two-day score of 163 (84-79). Sophomore Jackson Williams (Ironwood Ridge HS) shot a 192 (93-99). The Aztecs will host the Pima Invitational on March 29-30 at the Randolph Golf Course. Teams will...