San Marcos girls beach volleyball kicked off its Channel League season with a 5-0 road victory over Rio Mesa on Tuesday.
The Royals dominated the Spartans, earning four of the five wins in straight sets.
Paige Hoadley and Charlotte Hastings shined on court two, cruising to a 21-4, 21-8 victory over their opponents.
“Throughout the competition, the girls’ were able to sustain a high level of focus and skill,” San Marcos head coach Tim Loomer said.
The Royals will take on both Mira Costa and Oaks Christian in the South Bay on Friday.
Santa Ynez 4, Dos Pueblos 1
The Pirates pulled out the 4-1 win in a non-league matchup with the Chargers on Tuesday.
“The girls did a great job of staying in system against a solid DP squad,” Santa Ynez head coach Melissa Rogers said. “Tough serving, controlling the ball and minimizing our errors were key.”
Dos Pueblos’ lone win came at the top court where Jayden Jones and Halle Rillie dominated their way to a two-set win over Scarlett Ollenburger and Arelie Perez, 21-14, 21-8.
However, Santa Ynez bounced back and swept the rest of the matchups.
The No. 2 showdown was a back-and-forth battle as the Pirates’ Jordan Gann and Natalie Bailey outlasted Grace Posey and Ella Payne in three sets, 22-24, 21-18, 15-10.
Santa Ynez’s Kailyn Snekvik and Lila Cassidy pulled out a two-set win at court three over Eleni Becker and Tanner Love, 21-18, 21-17.
On court four, Scotty Losson and Ella Miller picked up the win for the Pirates over Atasha Black and Gia Haas, 21-14, 21-10.
Kendall Herthel and Nora Eliason rounded out the win for the Pirates with a sweep of Allie Ben-Yaacov and Char Welch, 21-18, 21-16.
Ventura 3, Santa Barbara High 2
The Dons dropped a back-and-forth Channel League opener with the Cougars on Tuesday in Ventura.
Santa Barbara High’s No. 1 duo of Keenan Engebretson and Lola Heckman shook off a slow start and earned a victory in two sets, 24-22, 21-10.
“Once Lola and Keenan settled in and found their groove, they were operating very smoothly on both defense and offense,” Dons head coach Kristin Hempy said. “They play comfortably with each other and are both powerful forces at the net.”
The second win of the day for Santa Barbara came at the No. 3 court where Blake Saunders and Stella Peus took care of their opponents in two sets, 21-11, 21-18.
However, Ventura captured a two-set win at the No. 4 matchup (21-10, 21-8) and pulled out three-set wins at the twos (17-21, 21-17, 16-14) and fives (21-15, 19-21, 15-6).
“For our first match, this is a promising start,” Hempy said. “We have a few important things to work on and we look forward to improving our success as the season continues.”
The Dons will host Rio Mesa on Thursday at East Beach.
Foothill Tech 3, Laguna Blanca 2
The Owls began their season with a 3-2 loss to Tri-Valley League opponent Foothill Tech on Tuesday at Ventura Harbor.
The No. 2 duo of Sage Holcombe and Lolayna Redmond picked up a three-set win to give their squad a point.
“[Holcombe and Redmond] both put in a lot of effort and showed out on the court with their hustle and hits,” Laguna Blanca coach Max Reid said.
The Owls’ other victory came at court five courtesy of a two-set win by Vivienne Jacobsen and Hadleigh Bolton.
“[Jacobsen and Bolton] were both great on their serves, getting many aces throughout the game,” Reid said.