Santa Barbara beach volleyball standout Katie Spieler remembered coaching Erin Inskeep and Clara Stowell when they were young teens.
Spieler taught them well.
In the women’s final of the Santa Barbara Open, Spieler and cousin-partner Torrey Van Winden were denied a third title together by Inskeep and Stowell. The college stars went on a late 5-0 run to break open a one-point game and took the championship with a 28-22 victory in front of the famed Bath House on a windy Sunday.
For Stowell, it was her second straight Santa Barbara title. She won last year with Stanford teammate and San Marcos alum Taylor Wilson.
In the men’s final, the Huntington Beach duo of Kyle Baily and Cole Aidnik prevailed in an intense battle with Santa Barbara’s Dylan Foreman and Troy Fitzgerald, 28-25.
The California Beach Volleyball Association tournament was part of Santa Barbara’s Semana Nautica Sports Festival.
Women’s Final
Stowell’s big block helped her side break a 5-5 tie and spark a 6-1 run. But Spieler/Van Winden came roaring back. Van Winden ripped a kill on two and Spieler made some spectacular defensive plays that were converted into points. They tied the score at 14 and took a 15-14 lead.
“There was a little time there when we couldn’t put balls away because their defense was so good,” said Stowell. “So we just looked at each other and said we’re going to find space, giving each other good calls. We really trust each other.”
The teams went back and forth before Cal Poly’s Inskeep gave her side the lead for good (19-18) on a cut shot. The lead expanded to 22-19 before Stowell took over at the net. She scored three straight points on a kill off the block and two stuff blocks.
Inskeep was happy to have Stowell on the same side of the net.
“I don’t want to play against her,” she’s scary,” said Inskeep.
The Santa Barbara Open was Inskeep/Stowell’s first tournament together this summer. “With many more to come,” said Inskeep.
“We played two years ago the whole summer and last year played in a couple (of tournaments),” said Stowell. “But every year when you go back to college, we go our separate ways and play with our friends from our school. But we’re always down to play together because we have a really good connection. We communicate similarly, we have very good chemistry and we’re best friends.”
Spieler, who coaches youth players at East Beach, is impressed by the high level of play from the college players.
“There is so much talent in the youth, especially in college,” she said “We definitely wanted to get the title, but it was fun to play good volleyball at the end and all day.”
Spieler said she coached Inskeep and Stowell when she was living in Manhattan Beach back in the early 2000s.
“To see them now competing at that level is incredible. It’s just so cool to me because I think one of the best parts of beach volleyball is the college game right now. I think that system has really taken off and so I’m stoked to see it’s producing really high-level players and it’s giving girls all these opportunities to play. Even though we’re getting beat by them, it’s great to see.”
Spieler and Torrey Van Winden, who also finished second last year, started the day in an all-Santa Barbara pool that included Torrey’s sister Adlee and her partner Anastasia Kunz, a San Marcos alum. The four practice together at East Beach.
“She’s six months pregnant,” said Torrey of her sister. “It was really fun. “We were joking that it was three against two because Adlee had a full-blown baby.”
In the semifinals, Spieler/Van Winden defeated Emma Zuffelato of Santa Barbara and Faith Bartlett while Inskeep/Stowell beat Santa Barbara’s Portia Sherman and Logan Tusher.
Men’s Final
A service ace by Aidnik opened up a 23-18 lead and Baily delivered some clutch down the stretch to hold off Foreman/Fitzgerald.
“They’re a good team that is very scrappy and has good ball control,” said Fitzgerald of their opponents from Huntington Beach. “I think their service pressure ultimately got the best of us. We didn’t have the service pressure like they did.”
Asked what has been the key to their success, Aidnik replied, “It’s really simple: the power of friendship. I trust him and he trusts me, and I think you get a lot of little points in volleyball when you trust each other and focus on yourself.”
Baily added: “We just do our jobs. I think I got served a little more today, so I was just trying to side out and put up a decent block. (Cole) is really good at running down shots, digging some balls and scoring some points.”
For Foreman and Fitzgerald, getting to the finals of their hometown open tournament was quite an accomplishment, considering they practiced just one day before the tournament.
“The first time I got to play with him this summer was yesterday, so we had very little preparation,” said Foreman, a Santa Barbara High alum. “Last year, we played in this tournament as well and made to the quarters, so big improvement.”
Said the lefty Fitzgerald, a Dos Pueblos alum: “It was pretty short notice considering I’ve been starting to play with the USA (A2) National Team, but Dylan gave me a heads up, ‘Hey, you want to play in the Santa Barbara Open?’ I couldn’t say no. It’s a great pick up and we’re both from SB, obviously, so that made it even sweeter.”
Despite losing in the final, Foreman called it a good day. “We just kept getting better as the day went. We had some bad play in our pool and got second but we struck together and figure it out. It was super windy today and that was definitely a challenge, but it was good. We played well together. They were was just a good team.”
In the semfinals, Foreman-Fitzgerald beat Ben Apstein/Andrew Brown and Baily/Aidnik outlasted Will Rottman/Luke Turner.
