Dos Pueblos girls beach volleyball’s season came to a close with a 4-1 loss to Long Beach Poly in the CIF-SS Div. 3 Quarterfinals on Tuesday in Goleta.
“Overall, we came up just short today, losing two three-set matches that could have gone either way,” Charger head coach Nate Holmes said. “Still, this group exceeded expectations with how far they advanced in the CIF run and how they competed toe-to-toe with the defending Division 3 champions.
“This is just the beginning for our young program, and we have high hopes for them over the next few years.”
Dos Pueblos’ Athena Bardakos and Moana Martinez were the lone duo to earn a victory, taking down their opponents 21-11, 21-12 on court five.
“Athena and Moana continue to improve each match and have been our most reliable source of wins throughout this CIF run,” Holmes said. “They played high-percentage volleyball, communicated well, made adjustments and consistently executed.”
Meanwhile, Alli-Ben Yaacov/Char Welch (21-13, 12-21, 9-15) fell in three sets at the ones, and Faith Harrison/Kyra Sample (20-22, 21-11, 9-15). battled to a three-set loss in the No. 3 matchup.
“Allie and Char came out firing, playing by far their best volleyball of the season. They were aggressive from the service line and did a great job controlling the tempo with smart shot selection. Defensively, they stayed disciplined, made good reads, and consistently put balls away in transition,” Holmes said.
“Kyra and Faith elevated their level of play today as well. Faith played her best defense of the season, both blocking at the net and digging in transition, and was able to turn those plays into offense. Kyra brought great energy and effort and played steady, composed volleyball throughout the match.”