San Marcos girls beach volleyball began its quest for a CIF-SS Div. 1 title with a 3-2 win over Los Alamitos in the first round on Thursday at Ridgway Courts in Santa Barbara.
The Royals are now 24-2 on the season and will host top-seeded Mira Costa for the CIF-SS Div. 1 Semifinals on Wednesday at 3 p.m. One of San Marcos’ two losses came to Mira Costa in February.
Cora Loomer and Evyn Miller secured a victory for the Royals at the No. 1 court by taking care of business in straight sets, 21-11, 21-4.
“Loomer and Miller were locked in from the outset. Passing, setting, blocking, attacking, everything was smooth. The Los Alamitos pair just couldn’t get anything going,” San Marcos head coach Tim Loomer said.
The No. 4 San Marcos duo of Lila Westmacott and Isla McClintock followed that up with a win of their own, 21-11, 21-10.
“McClintock and Westmacott also played a dominant match,” Tim Loomer said. “Westmacott had a few very smart poke kills to go with a handful of rocket swings.
“McClintock was strong defensively and worked the ball around the court offensively, keeping the opponents off balance. Serving was also a key to the win.”
Malia Hetrick and Rio Chesluk then came through in the clutch at the No. 5 matchup, battling to a win in two sets to seal the overall team victory, 25-23, 21-10.
“The first game was hard fought by both teams with the SM pair staying mentally tough through the end, pulling out the victory,” Tim Loomer said of the No. 5 showdown. “Malia and Rio stayed focused through the second game, securing the match win for the Royals in strong fashion.
“It was really fun to watch Malia and Rio secure the win that sends the team into the CIF semi-finals. Both girls have been working hard all season and are fierce competitors.”
Dos Pueblos 4, Camarillo 1 (Div. 3)
The Chargers advanced to the CIF-SS Div. 3 quarterfinals with a second-round road win over Camarillo on Thursday.
“Overall, we battled hard against an evenly matched Camarillo team and found our rhythm down the stretch,” Dos Pueblos head coach Nate Holmes said.
The Dos Pueblos top duo of Allie Ben-Yaacov and Char Welch cruised to a 22-20, 21-18 win on court one, as did Ruby Dunlop and Gia Haas in the No. 2 matchup, 21-13, 21-18.
“Ruby and Gia played some of their most consistent volleyball of the season and were able to win comfortably in straight sets,” Holmes said.
At the threes, Faith Harrison and Kyra Sample gritted out a three-set victory, 21-23, 21-19, 15-8. Athena Bardakos and Moana Martinez then capped off the win at the fives, 21-9, 21-13.
“Faith and Kyra played their best under pressure in their third set and were able to close out a very close match rather easily,” Holmes said. “Athena and Moana’s passing and setting continue to improve, and that allowed them to dominate at the fives spot.”
Dos Pueblos will now play host to Long Beach Poly on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Bishop Diego 3, Pacifica Christian 2 (Div. 4)
The Cardinals pulled out a tight win over Pacifica Christian in the second round of the CIF-SS Div. 4 playoffs on Thursday.
“It was a complete team effort, with every pair tested throughout the day,” Bishop Diego head coach Jackson Stevens said.
Sophie Otte and Wynter Thorne-Thomsen supplied the most comfortable win of the day for the Cardinals at the No. 1 matchup with a 21-13, 21-14 win.
Meanwhile, Elle McMahon and Addie Barat also took care of their opponents in two sets at the threes, 21-19, 22-20.
The No. 2 Bishop Diego pairing of Natalie Chan and Olivia Leflang came through in the clutch, pulling out a three-set win to clinch the overall win for the Cardinals, 11-21, 21-15, 17-15.
Bishop Diego will welcome Oak Park to the Cardinal Courts on Tuesday at 3 p.m.