The hottest volleyball team in the Central Valley Conference no longer resides at Porterville College. That distinction belongs to the defending CVC champion Fresno City College Rams following their 3-1 home victory on Wednesday night in a battle for the early top spot.

The Pirates, ranked No. 12 in Northern California, had their six-match winning streak snapped, as the No. 7 Rams pulled away 25-13, 25-14, 24-26, and 25-19. Porterville dropped to 2-1 in the CVC and 7-4 overall.

“We got off to a slow start, but I was proud of the way we fought back,” said PC coach Dale Henderson. “I was disappointed that we didn’t play our best game, but it we will use this as a learning experience for us to keep improving.”

Scoring leaders Sylvia Ramirez (nine kills), Jessica Hernandez (eight) and Olga Velasquez (seven) did not produce their normal points against a Fresno team that finished with 11 blocks. The Rams also compiled eight aces, proving to be the best serving team the Pirates have faced so far.

Reigning CVC Player of the Week Laura Lopez led the Pirates with 31 assists, while her counterpart — reigning CVC Player of the Year and All-American Lauren Manzo — recorded 55.

The Rams (3-0, 12-5) were also led by Alyssa Pitkin, who led all players with 18 kills and 17 digs. Other Pirate leaders included Gabby Pino (15 digs), Hernandez (13 digs) and Velasquez (seven blocks).

Henderson put a positive spin on the team’s first conference loss and expects the Pirates to rebound at home on Friday night against Merced.

“Give credit to Fresno for being the better team,” he said. “We know what areas we need to work on as players and coaches. All of our goals are still in sight.”