San Marcos beach volleyball’s No. 1 pairing of Cora Loomer and Josie Gamberdella was crowned the top duo in the Channel League on Monday.
The Royals competed against Ventura and Buena to determine the strongest duos in the league, and San Marcos’ Elena Thomas and Evyn Miller took home third place.
After Loomer and Gamberdella had a first-round bye, they opened the day by taking down Ventura’s No. 2 duo of Hazel Richard and Alex Hoskins, 21-10, 21-15.
That two-set win advanced them into the first-place matchup against Ventura’s Gigi Scaglia and Sophia Sletten.
The Royals dropped the first set 21-16, but Loomer and Gamberdella bounced back and took the final two sets, 21-12, 17-15 to take home first place.
“The chemistry that Cora and Josie have on the sand is incredible to watch,” San Marcos coach Teslin LeMaster said. “Their styles of play complement each other very well and they keep each other tuned into the game no matter the pressure.
“I am very proud of how they came back battling to win the 1st place spot.”
Meanwhile, Thomas and Miller earned third place thanks to a two-set win over Buena’s top duo, 21-11, 21-15. In the second round, the Royals fell to Scaglia and Sletten.
They bounced back in the third-place matchup with a two-set win over Richard and Hoskins, 21-11, 21-14.
“Elena and Evyn showed grit and determination to finish the day as the third-place team in Channel League,” LeMaster said.
The Royals will open up CIF-SS Div. 1 playoffs with a second-round matchup against Notre Dame Academy on Saturday at 3 p.m. The location of the match is to be determined.