Dos Pueblos battled to a 3-2 victory over Santa Barbara in a crosstown girls beach volleyball showdown on Tuesday afternoon in Goleta.
“DP is a consistent, well-coached team and though this is a tough one to lose, we look forward to continuing to improve and get better each match we play,” Dons head coach Kristin Hempy said.
The No. 1 matchup was a slugfest as the Charger pairing of Jayden Jones and Halle Rillie outlasted Santa Barbara’s Keenan Engebretson and Lola Heckman in two competitive sets, 29-27, 21-18.
“I’m proud of Keenan and Lola for battling some slumps and injuries to be right in this match,” Hempy said.
At court two, the Dons’ Paylin Marcillac and Kira Elliot bested Dos Pueblos’ Eleni Becker and Tanner Love in two sets, 21-17, 21-15.
“These two turned in a strong match and are getting better together each time they play,” Hempy said of Marcillac and Elliot.
The No. 3 showdown went three sets with the Santa Barbara duo of Blake Saunders and Stella Peus outlasting Grace Posey and Ella Payne, 17-21, 21-8, 15-8.
“After a slow start, Blake and Stella found their offensive groove and did a nice job hitting their shots and spots,” Hempy said.
The Chargers bounced back at the fours where Gia Haas and Atasha Black earned a two-set win over Lauren McFadden and Jacqueline Durling, 21-13, 21-12.
With the overall score tied at 2-2, Dos Pueblos’ Allie Ben-Yaacov and Char Welch squared off against Santa Barbara’s Madi Priess and Lana McMillan at court five.
Ben-Yaacov and Welch shook off a first-set loss to give their team the overall match win with a three-set victory, 21-23, 23-21, 15-12.
On Thursday, the Chargers will be on the road against Oxnard while the Dons will welcome Buena to East Beach.
San Marcos 5, Buena 0
The Royals went on the road and came away with a sweep of the Bulldogs on Tuesday, with each win coming in two sets.
The No. 1 duo of Josie Gamberdella and Cora Loomer cruised at the top with a 21-12, 21-13 victory.
“Gamberdella received the majority of the serves and smartly varied her offense keeping Buena’s blocker/defender pair off-balance throughout the match,” San Marcos head coach Tim Loomer said. “Loomer provided consistent sets and some fire power of her own when the occasional serve went her way.”
At the twos, Sam Fallon and Evyn Miller handled their matchup in two sets, 21-14, 21-13. Meanwhile, Paige Hoadley and Isla McClintock paired up for the first time at the threes and came out on top 21-16, 21-18.
“Miller’s aggressive serving and Fallon’s defense helped propel the pair through the match,” Coach Loomer said. “[Hoadley and McClintock] found themselves behind in both games but were able to grind out wins with smart play and doggedly keeping the ball off the sand.”
The No. 4 pairing of Reese Paskin and Lila Westmacott (21-11, 21-12) and Kelsey Rowe and Kelsey Helton at the fives (21-15, 21-16) rounded out the scoring for San Marcos.
The Royals will host Ventura High on Thursday in a battle of undefeated Channel League teams.
Laguna Blanca 4, Bishop Diego 1
The Owls earned a crosstown rivalry win over the Cardinals on Tuesday at Bishop Diego.
The No. 3 Laguna Blanca duo of Daphne Shiebler and Charlie Carrington pulled out an impressive three-set win. After trailing 11-0 in the opening set, they fought back and got to within two points but ultimately fell 21-19.
However, Shiebler and Carrington dominated the second and third sets, 21-8 and 15-4, to pull out the victory.