At times, the Valencia girls volleyball team looked in sync in its season-opening match against Dos Pueblos of Goleta.

But in the end, mistakes cost the young Vikings squad, who lost 3-0 on Tuesday night at Valencia High.

Though the Vikings scored the first three points of the match, they rarely held a lead at any point. Each time the team mounted a comeback against Dos Pueblos, the run seemed to end with a service or passing error.

"I'd like to say it was our young players making all the mistakes, but it was kind of everyone," said Valencia head coach Ray Sanchez.

The Vikings, who lost the games 13-25, 18-25, 18-25, started two sophomores in the match and had three more sitting on the bench. Most notable was setter Carly Carapella, who tallied 23 assists and 10 digs to lead the team in both categories Tuesday.

After Valencia (0-1) took a 3-0 lead in the first game, the Chargers went on a 6-0 scoring run and didn't relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.

Dos Pueblos (5-2) scored in bunches all night, usually anchored by solid serving and the play of outside hitter Taylor Racich. At 6-foot-1, she was the tallest player on the court, and her powerful attacks sailed over the heads of Valencia blockers throughout the match.

"She's a stud, but she's only one person. We need our whole team working together," said Dos Pueblos head coach Todd Garrett of the junior.

After Valencia senior middle blocker Emily Elias stopped a Dos Pueblos attack in the first game, the lead was cut to 13-18, but the Chargers finished out the game on a 7-0 run to win it. Elias finished with six kills.

In the second game, the Vikings again started well, taking a 5-1 early lead. But again, poor passing and service errors allowed Dos Pueblos back in the game.

"Every time we got some momentum, we'd shoot ourselves in the foot or they would make a great play," Sanchez said.

A pair of kills from Elias and senior outside hitter Ashtyn LaVoise put the score at 15-17 in favor of the Chargers, but that was the closest Valencia came in the match. LaVoise led the Vikings with seven kills on the night.

In the third game, Racich and company started getting into a rhythm and again used big scoring runs to put Valencia in a hole. Dos Pueblos used its size advantage on the front line to stop attacks, and again came out on top to complete the three-game sweep.

Garrett was pleased with his team's performance, but sees potential in this year's Valencia squad

"As this year progresses and into the next year, this is going to be a really good team," he said.