Beach Volleyball Splits at Moorpark
By Jimmy Friery
MOORPARK, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City College Beach Volleyball team (13-5, 7-1) split their matches at Moorpark on Friday, losing 3-2 against the hosts before beating Bakersfield 5-0, all sweeps.
While the Vaqueros' undefeated start to conference play ended, they still are a match ahead of Santa Monica—whom they beat twice—and two ahead of Ventura. However, Friday's early result proved that there are plenty of quality pairs and teams in the Western State Conference (WSC).
"Coming into Friday's match, we knew that being at the top of the conference puts a target on our back," head coach Ariana Garner said. "Every team is going to bring their best with nothing to lose, and Moorpark did exactly that. They played with intensity and urgency, while we weren't as sharp or prepared as we needed to be."
On courts four and five, the Vaqueros started strong with two sweeps. No. 4 pair Sophie Ward and Giulia Sophie Gentile won 21-9, 21-19, and No. 5 pair Camryn Chapman and Stephanie Groswirt won 21-17, 21-13. The early lead was halved by a loss on court one.
Moorpark needed to win both of the remaining matches on courts two and three, and they had gotten off to a good start, winning the first sets in each. After the Vaqueros forced third sets in both, it was due to be a dramatic finish. The Raiders prevailed 15-6 on court two and 15-12 on court three to win the match 3-2.
"Credit to Moorpark—they earned that result," Garner said. "For us, it's a reminder that every match matters. We can't afford to take a set or a match off. Moving forward, our focus is on bringing consistent energy and competitiveness every time we step on the court."
On the flip side, to Santa Barbara's credit, they responded as well as they could have in the second match against Bakersfield. They won every pairs match in straight sets.
Chapman/Groswirt had the best result, winning 21-4, 21-10. Kaylin Cooney and Madison Genasci won 21-10, 21-14 on court three, as did Ward/Gentile.
No. 1 pair Abigail Stenz and Maddie Papia won 21-10, 21-11. No. 2 pair Tana Long and Lina Husek won via a similar score: 21-11, 21-10.
Next Friday, the Vaqueros travel to the Ventura Harbor Cove Courts. They start against Bakersfield—playing them back-to-back—before a matchup against Ventura. Santa Barbara beat the Pirates 4-1 back on March 6.
Match one: Moorpark def. Santa Barbara 3-2
1s: Makino/Thomas (MC) def. Stenz/Papia (SBCC) 21-16, 21-14
2s: Velu/Velarde (MC) def. Cooney/Genasci (SBCC) 21-18, 14-21, 15-6
3s: Saiki/Currie (MC) def. Long/Husek (SBCC) 22-20, 16-21, 15-12
4s: Ward/Gentile (SBCC) def. Byron/Galstian (MC) 21-9, 21-19
5s: Chapman/Groswirt (SBCC) def. Campisi/Lagattuta (MC) 21-17, 21-13
Match two: Santa Barbara def. Bakersfield 5-0
1s: Stenz/Papia (SBCC) def. Barron/Lopz (BC) 21-10, 21-11
2s: Long/Husek (SBCC) def. Zepeda/Wolf (BC) 21-11, 21-10
3s: Cooney/Genasci (SBCC) def. King/Dela Cruz (BC) 21-10, 21-14
4s: Ward/Gentile (SBCC) def. Hawkins/Sierra (BC) 21-10, 21-14
5s: Chapman/Groswirt (SBCC) def. Sterling/Naranjo (BC) 21-4, 21-10