Vaqueros drop a pair on Opening Day

SBCC came up short in a pair of women's beach volleyball matches on Opening Day 2020 at East Beach. Fresno City beat the Vaqueros 5-0 and Cabrillo pulled out a 3-2 triumph on Friday afternoon.

"Our No. 1's, Kelissa Lemoine and Ava Crawford played a tight three-set match," said former SBCC indoor standout Ariana Garner after coaching her first college match. "We were able to get Fresno City out of system with our short/deep game. Kelissa had two big blocks at crucial points. Ava played lights-out defense in the first and second set. We were very close in the second. It was 19-20 and Fresno was able to put the ball away. The third set was tough as we were unable to stop their serving run."

Crawford and Lemoine won the Vaqueros' first point of the year by rallying to beat Jordan Skucius/Briana Ayala 13-21, 21-12, 15-9 in the No. 1 match against Cabrillo.

"Ava and Kelissa were able to pull out a gritty win against a great Cabrillo 1's team," said Garner. "After a disappointing loss in the first set, the girls were able to put the pressure on Cabrillo. We did not make very many mistakes, making Cabrillo earn every point. The third set, we got off to a strong start with our first switch at 4-1 and were able to put on the gas the whole way through. We served tough into the wind and controlled our first and second contacts."

The No. 3 match was also a three-setter with Chloe Kerley/Makenzie Phelps coming out on the wrong end of a 21-17, 18-21, 15-8 decision.

"In the second set, our 3's were able to put the pressure on with their serve in the wind on the good side," Garner noted. "They were able to find ways to score on the windy side and close out the second set in a close match. In the third set, we could not stop the serving run from Cabrillo. We fought back but were not able to catch up.

"Overall I am pleased with our play today. We have a lot to continue to work on but it was great to be able to play people other than ourselves to see how we match up. I am excited for this group and look forward to continuing to develop our beach volleyball IQ's with a team that is all relatively new to the sport. We have a great amount of potential."

The Vaqueros will take the next 3-1/2 weeks off, then host College of Marin on Wednesday, March 18 at 11 a.m.

Fresno City 5, SBCC 0
1. Julie Castleman/Julia Pagani, FCC, def. Ava Crawford/Kelissa Lemoine 16-21, 22-20, 15-3
2. Marina Gonzalez/Taylor Dilley, FCC, def. Jenna Armario/Gillian Wilks 21-12, 21-14
3. Kimiah Johnson/Rylee Kenitzer, FCC, def. Chloe Kerley/Makenzie Phelps 21-8, 21-9
4. Hannah Chase/Kenidi MacDonald, FCC, def. Julia Nederlk/Flor Bustos 21-14, 21-8
5. Katelynn Kirkman/Karee Smith, FCC, def. Madeline Heintz/Lea Bueker 21-6, 21-2

Cabrillo 3, SBCC 2
1. Ava Crawford/Kelissa Lemoine, SBCC, def. Jordan Skucius/Briana Ayala 13-21, 21-12, 15-9
2. Bella Bress/Bella Bush, CC, def. Jenna Armario/Gillian Wilks 21-12, 21-10
3. Hailey Naccarato/Ashleigh Souza, CC, def. Chloe Kerley/Makenzie Phelps 21-17, 18-21, 15-8
4. Dominique Ozoa/Cierra Verdone, CC, def. Julia Nederlk/Flor Bustos 21-10, 21-10
5. Madeline Heintz/Lea Bueker, SBCC, won by forfeit