By Jimmy Friery
TORRANCE, CA – The Santa Barbara City College Beach Volleyball team had great results this weekend at the 3C2A So Cal Pairs Regional hosted by El Camino College. Olivia Medina and Ashley Rossi won the Regional, while Alexis Zevenbergen and Nevaeh Tillet finished 12th, qualifying for the State Championship.
Medina/Rossi cruised through the quarterfinals with a 21-10, 21-12 victory, leading to a matchup with Orange Coast's 1s team of Blair/Mason in the semis. Head coach Ariana Garner described it as "a hard-fought battle against a really physical and tough OCC team." The Vaqueros were the victors in a 3-setter, 21-11, 15-21, 15-7.
On to the final, a familiar foe in Rojelio/Swain from Ventura would be their opponents. Medina/Rossi beat them for the WSC Pairs title last Saturday. However, with a spot in the State Pairs Championship already clinched and Ventura advancing to the upcoming State Team Championship, the Ventura 1s duo decided to forfeit the Pairs Regional Final, saving their much-needed energy for a massive push next weekend.
Thus, Medina/Rossi—no strangers to winning—were crowned Pairs Regional champions and improved their record to 30-1. Add that accolade to the growing list of WSC Pairs champions, WSC Pair of the Year, 1st Team All-Conference, and AVCA Top Flight award winners.
"Olivia and Ashley are so deserving of this title," Garner said proudly. "Their ball control, diverse offense, and mental toughness sets them apart from other pairs. It is a joy to watch them compete. We hope they can continue their run at the Pairs State tournament next weekend."
They were not the only duo with a successful weekend for the Vaqueros. 2s pair Zevenbergen/Tillet advanced to the round of 16, but lost a close 21-18, 21-17 match. From there, they played their third match of the day in the consolation bracket, with a spot to the State tournament on the line.
Losing the first set 15-21, they found a jolt of energy and won a tight second set 21-18. In set three, they had just enough to win 15-13, punching their ticket Saratoga. After losing their next match on Saturday, they were awarded the South 12 seed, and a spot at next weekend's State Pairs Championship.
"It's amazing for them. They have come so far and faced a lot of adversity as a pair," Garner said of her 2s. "With this being just Birdie's second season playing beach and Nevaeh's first, it is incredible to see them finish so high."
As mentioned, both Vaqueros teams will represent the program as the South #1 and #12, respectively, at next weekend's State Pairs Championship up in Saratoga, hosted by West Valley.
