Alde Nguyen
Online Sports Editor
The girls beach volleyball team set themselves up with good momentum for going into State, after spiking over Laguna Hills High School in the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League Southern Pacific Section Division One Finals.
The Mustangs defeated the Saddlebacks, 2-1, winning the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League Southern Pacific Section Division One Championships on May 12. at North Beach in Santa Monica. Costa proved to be a stronger force on both sides of the net which led to their victory, according to sophomore Kate Reilly.
“I thought we all competed very well and it showed,” Reilly said. “We have now already had experience against them which will help us win the dual if we play them in State.”
In the first match against Laguna Hills, seniors Lily Snyder and Lea Ungar led a solid performance, defeating their opponents 21-10 and 21-7. Snyder and Ungar outplayed Laguna, with tough serves and consistency, according to Snyder.
“It was an amazing experience to win CIF with all my closest friends and to represent Mira Costa,” Snyder said. “We have been denominating all season and winning our section topped it off. I am so fortunate to be apart of such a talented team and to be coached by Eric Fonoimoana.”
Sophomores Reilly and Olivia Bakos came out aggressive in their game, winning both sets 21-18 and 21-16. The duo’s succeeded at attacking on the outer edges of the court and communicating which helped them capture the win. Reilly and Bakos held a strong defense while covering the court based off Laguna’s tendencies, said Reilly.
“[By] coming out really strong and keeping our intensity high we were able to win our match,” Reilly said. “We were really aggressive and Eric coached us really well on how to defend against the opposing team.”
In the third match, senior Piper Monk and sophomore Maya Harvey found themselves edged out by a small deficit in both sets, 21-18 and 22-20. Monk and Harvey played with good communication, but ultimately could not maintain a strong offensive force compared to of Laguna’s.
“In the second game we made a 5 point comeback at the end of the game but could not finish it out,” Monk said. “Maya and I communicated well throughout the whole match though which had made it easier to keep the game close.”
The Mustangs now currently stands at an undefeated record of 82-0 within the past six seasons. The Mustangs will next compete in the IBLV State Finals on May 19. at Dockweiler Beach.
“I’m proud of the team for working hard all season and I think we can carry it over into state next weekend,” Monk said. “Hopefully we can win a second year in a row after last year’s success.”
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