Wyatt Robb
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s girls beach volleyball team defeated Ventura High School in the second round of Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League Playoffs held at Annenberg Beach on Tuesday. By clinching the Bay Division, the Mustangs were given the number one seed and a by in the first round of the tournament, maintaining their undefeated record.
Senior Emma Smith and sophomore Piper Monk-Heidrich made up the first seed team. The second and third seed teams were composed of junior Rio Frohoff and senior Avery Hazelrigg and juniors Presley Forbes and Sunny Villapando.
“During the entire match it was extremely windy,” Hazelrigg said. “But since our coach often makes us practice in harsh winds, our team was prepared and ultimately came out on top.”
Monk-Heidrich and Smith started off strong against Ventura, winning their first game 21-14. In the second game, Monk-Heidrich’s dominance at the net allowed them to take the lead and hold it, winning 21-18 and contributing their victory to the overall total.
“Emma and I did a really good job of passing, even though it was really windy,” Monk-Heidrich said. “I think we also did a great job keeping a level head throughout the entire match.”
Villapando and Forbes had no trouble defeating the Cougars’ second seed team. The duo routed their opponent, winning the first game 21-5 and the second 21-10. According to Villapando, the pair played resiliently in both games.
“Our ability to keep the pressure on our opponents, by siding out quickly and serving well, was a major key to our success,” Villapando said.
Hazelrigg and Frohoff also defeated their opponent in two games. The team used their strong serving ability to their advantage, winning them 21-15 and 21-18. This victory capped off a clean sweep for the Mustangs.
“I think we did a good job serving tough during the match,” Hazelrigg said. “We were ultimately able to get many aces.”
With this victory, the 11-0 Mustangs will stay in contention for a fourth consecutive IBVL championship. The team will play the winner of a game on Thursday between Arroyo Grande and Marymount taking place on Thursday. Costa will play this quarterfinal game Saturday at 9 A.M. at Ocean Park Beach.
“To prepare for the next round, we plan to just continue pushing each other in practice and not letting up until that final match is over on Saturday,” Villapando said.
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