Vaqueros Stay Unbeaten in Conference After Glendale, Santa Monica Wins
By Jimmy Friery
GLENDALE, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City College Beach Volleyball team (12-4, 6-0) continues to show their Western State Conference (WSC) dominance, beating Glendale and Santa Monica 5-0 and 4-1, respectively, on Friday in Glendale. Halfway through conference play, the Vaqueros remain undefeated with a two-match lead above anyone else, winning 26 of their 30 WSC pairs matches.
"I continue to be impressed with the way our team shows up each week ready to compete," head coach Ariana Garner said. "Our success on Fridays is a direct result of the tough, competitive practices we put in throughout the week, pushing ourselves and each other to get better."
The Vaqueros cruised to an opening win against host Glendale, with every pair sweeping their match. No. 1 pair Abigail Stenz and Maddie Papia led the line with a 21-10, 21-12 victory. No. 2 pair Kaylin Cooney and Madison Genasci had the closest set, winning 21-9, 22-20 to complete the 5-0 team result.
The second match against Santa Monica was important for both teams. Santa Barbara won the first meeting between them on March 6, but the Corsairs had swept all five of their following matches—including a few non-conference ones—since then. With the Vaqueros coming in 5-0 in WSC play and Santa Monica 3-1 (eventually beating Glendale later in the day), a Vaquero win would be crucial to establish breathing room at the top of the conference standings.
"We faced a tough matchup against SMC—our second time seeing them in conference play—and it's never easy to beat a strong team twice," Garner said. "I was especially proud of how we stayed calm and poised in tight sets. In the end, our fitness and resilience helped us outlast them when it mattered most."
That it did. Papia/Stenz once again led the way with a 22-20 extra-points victory in the first set before a 21-17 second-set victory on court one.
After playing with Stephanie Groswirt in the Glendale match, Sophie Ward paired with Giulia Sophie Gentile against Santa Monica. The No. 4 pair had a similar scoreline to their court-one teammates, winning a tight 21-19 first set before a 21-14 second-set win to clinch it. Ward, still, has yet to lose a set in eight matches so far this year.
Tana Long and Lina Husek moved up to court two, also winning in straight sets—21-17, 21-14. That clinched the win for the Vaqueros, but they would tack on a few more for good measure.
No. 5 pair Camryn Chapman and Groswirt came back to outlast their opponents in three sets after dropping the first 25-23. On the unscored court six, Daniela Diaz and Juliette Dekker earned a gutsy 21-18, 24-22 victory.
"We're looking forward to another challenging week of practice as we continue preparing for the remainder of conference," Garner concluded. "Really proud of this group and the work they're putting in."
The Vaqueros will have confidence and momentum on their side next Friday when they travel to Moorpark, playing the hosts and Bakersfield beginning at 10 a.m. The Vaqueros beat Moorpark 4-1 last weekend, but it will be their first meeting with Bakersfield.
Match one: Santa Barbara def. Glendale 5-0
1s: Stenz/Papia (SBCC) def. Lanphear/Magee (GCC) 21-10, 21-12
2s: Cooney/Genasci (SBCC) def. Uchida/Casper (GCC) 21-9, 22-20
3s: Long/Husek (SBCC) def. Canales/Valiente (GCC) 21-9, 21-10
4s: Ward/Groswirt (SBCC) def. Blueford/Mikolyski (GCC) 21-10, 21-8
5s: Chapman/Gentile (SBCC) def. GCC via forfeit 21-0, 21-0
Match two: Santa Barbara def. Santa Monica 4-1
1s: Papia/Stenz (SBCC) def. Town/Lorin (SMC) 22-20, 21-17
2s: Long/Husek (SBCC) def. Whitlock/Vander Veen (SMC) 21-17, 21-14
3s: Moritz/Salvo (SMC) def. Cooney/Genasci (SBCC) 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
4s: Ward/Gentile (SBCC) def. Gamby/Gacia (SMC) 21-19, 21-14
5s: Chapman/Groswirt (SBCC) def. Taase/MacGaffey (SMC) 23-25, 21-12, 15-8
6s: Diaz/Dekker (SBCC) def. Liu/Bechtel (SMC) 21-18, 24-22