There was a buzz in J.R. Richards Gymnasium for the crosstown rivalry match between the Santa Barbara and San Marcos high school girls’ volleyball teams to open Channel League play.
The visiting Royals rose to the occasion and gave every indication that they were up to the task of defending their league title with a 25-20, 25-13, 25-17 sweep of Santa Barbara on Thursday night.
“Our whole goal has been to work at finishing games with aggression,” said San Marcos coach Tina Brown. “Stay aggressive the whole way through, and they did a great job of that tonight.”