SARATOGA -- A week before originally anticipated, West Valley volleyball held its sophomore night in recognition of a battle-tested sophomore class. With just two more matches this year, the Vikings separated from the pack by taking down the Skyline Trojans in straight sets.

With matches ahead against Ohlone and No. 13 San Mateo on the horizon, the Vikings (11-13, 6-2 Coast-South) still have a chance to finish in second place if they down the Renegades on the road later this week. But against Skyline (4-15, 2-6 Coast-South), they staved off a cold start to finish in dominant form.

"It was a really special night for our sophomores," said assistant coach Mapu Sekona. "They've put so much into this program, and it was great to send them off with a win."

The last week of matches represented change for the Vikings, sliding former outside hitter Ava Aviles to the middle, where her bounce and strong arm match well with the two-way presence of Emmy Juarez. Setter Sydney Scott fed both middles early, with Aviles a quick beneficiary of a new-look offense that seemed to take the Trojans by surprise.

Still, Skyline came out of the locker room as the better team, forcing head coach Sam Crosson to call an early timeout with the Trojans ahead 7-5. Needing the change of pace, the Vikings ripped off seven straight points including a ball that Scott tipped off the right boundary to a sprinting Kianna Liggs down past the back boundary that still, the Vikings were able to send the free ball from. The defensive intensity was absolutely there. West Valley took set one, 25-15, in line with the set scores from the last time the two teams played.

"We've been working on some adjustments," said Sekona, "especially with moving Ava to the middle, so a big focus has been getting everyone comfortable and confident in that new lineup."

Since the final match of October against San Francisco, the Vikings have won nine straight sets against the CCSF Rams, San Jose City and Skyline. All six of their conference wins, and all but one of their conference set-victories, are against this trio.

But this match had a different feel to the last time these two teams played. In mid-October, the Trojans were competitive in every set. They had Liggs, the conference leader in kills and kills per set, off balance while forcing her to be a large part of the passing action.

West Valley took the second set, this time in more dominant fashion, winning 25-12.

Liggs, a freshman, shined against the Trojans, at one point scraping through three straight kills through the Trojan block to halt any semblance of momentum the Trojans could put together.

And while the Vikings didn't have the gaudy service ace numbers that they'd had in recent play, the successes were still there. Sophomore captain Sianna Tautolo dominated at the line of service, featuring in all six rotations in the third set and keeping the Vikings in rhythm with a string of terrific serves to close out the match.

Each of the three eligible sophomores (excluding libero Rachel Sanchez, who has been out since the early part of the non-conference schedule with an injury) made an impact. Tautolo did so as a secondary passer, at the line of service and with her patented hustle. Juarez has some of the nastiest spin on her serve in the conference. And Kyra Bito, who Crosson mentioned as the player who has grown the most in her understanding of how she can help the team, had one of her most solid matches defending the floor.

All of those things, plus the consistent contributions of Liggs, Scott and freshman Emma Long, one of the best serve-receive players in the conference, bode well for the momentum of a Viking team that feels it's on the precipice of something special in the later part of the season.

"Tonight, I thought we served really well and passed with a little more consistency than we've had in the past few matches," said Sekona, "which is encouraging. Hopefully this is the start of some good momentum as we prep for Ohlone and San Mateo next week."

West Valley knows the task ahead -- they hold an even conference record with Ohlone and have undefeated, California-ranked San Mateo in their way to end the regular season. But with two matches left, the Vikings have a real chance to jump back to .500 overall and leapfrog Ohlone for second place in the conference.

It all starts against Ohlone, a Renegades squad that the Vikings lost to in four competitive sets in Saratoga in mid-October. The two sides are set for first serve on Wednesday at 6:30.