The future looks bright for Santa Barbara High’s beach volleyball team.
The young Dons pushed second-seeded Long Beach Wilson down to the wire in Wednesday’s CIF-SS Division 3 quarterfinal match at the East Beach courts. Wilson prevailed by taking a pair of three-set victories to earn a 4-1 decision and a spot in the semifinals.
“It was one of those ones where we could have taken it,” said Santa Barbara coach Kristin Hempy. “It just comes down to a little bit of momentum, who’s making less errors. They were both gritting it out. I mean, we had the two matches go to three, so that’s always fun and exciting. Our threes were right there and our fives could have been right there. (Long Beach Wilson) walked away with it today, but it could have gone either way.”
The No. 2 pair of freshman Kira Elliott and sophomore Paylin Marcillac picked up Santa Barbara’s lone win. They posted an impressive 21-10, 21-12 decision over Katie Vanderwal/Dani Dobie.
Elliott/Marcillac got on a roll after falling behind 8-5 in the first set. Elliott used tough serving and some blistering hits to score four straight points. Marcillac followed with a shot to the deep corner and Elliott finished an on-two poke shot to take command of the match.
The Dons kept the pressure on in the second set, building a 17-9 lead.
“They had a great match, really consistent,” said Hempy. “Kira has been doing really well on offense, and Paylin’s been honing on her defense. They’re a really fun group. They’re just very energetic and loud, so they create the energy, which is always really fun.”
In the No. 1 flight, Wilson’s Simrin Adams and Sadie Caldrone came out hot and never cooled off against Keenan Engebretson/Lola Heckman, winning 21-6, 21-14. Adams played in overdrive on defense as she dug practically every ball the Dons hit and then converted the digs into points.
“The Wilson ones were good. They’re probably one of the top ones teams we’ve played against,” said Hempy.
The season is not over for Engebretson/Heckman. They’ll play in the CIF Pairs Championships next week.
Despite the losses at the one and four courts, Santa Barbara was still in position to win the match at the No. 3 and 5 spots. Both matches went to three sets.
At the threes, Dons Blake Saunders/Stella Peus won the first set by scoring four straight points to break a 17-17 tie. In the second set, Wilson’s Kierin Adams/Peyton Agura rallied from a 16-13 deficit to win 21-16 and square the match at 1-1.
The deciding set was tight all the way. A cut shot by Adams broke a 10-10 tie and Agura followed with an ace. The Bruins scored another point before a service error gave Saunders/Peus a side out to make it 13-11. Agura sided out with a cut shot and then finished the match with a tough serve, clinching the team dual for Wilson.
Santa Barbara’s all-freshman duo of Grace Costner/Jacqueline Durling forced a deciding set at the No. 5 position. But Wilson’s Milan Lewis/Na’ima Lewis regrouped to seal the victory for the Bruins.
Despite the loss and the team season coming to an end, Hempy said this group of players made coaching fun.
“I was telling the girls, they have been such a fun team, probably one of the most high energy, fun teams to coach. And of the 10 that we’re playing right now, we got eight coming back; we have a lot of freshmen and a lot of sophomores, so that’s exciting for the program.
“We got two freshmen, Gracie and Jacqueline, playing fives, and they’re just getting experience that’s only going to help them in the future, and they’re going to be even better next year and the next year and the next year. So, yeah, it’s good.”
Santa Barbara finished the season with a 14-9 record.
Match results:
1s: Simrin Adams/Sadie Calderone (LBW) def. Keenan Engebretson/Lola Heckman, 21-6, 21-13
2s: Paylin Marcillac/Kira Elliot (SB) def. Dani Dobie/Kate Vanderwal, 21-12, 21-10
3s: Peyton Agura/Kierin Adams (LBW) def. Blake Saunders/Stella Peus, 17-21, 21-16, 15-11
4s: Iyla Alvarado/Jane Morrison (LBW) def. Madi Priess/Gabby Cajuste, 21-14, 21-17
5s: Milan Lewis/Na’ima Lewis (LBW) def. Grace Costner/Jacqueline Durling, 21-17, 15-21, 15-8