(Walnut, CA) A 10-match winning streak came to an end for the Mt. SAC Beach Volleyball team on Friday, March 8, in South Coast Conference action against visiting Rio Hondo and Long Beach City College.

On a beautiful day at "Mountie Beach", Mt. SAC (13-2 overall) opened the morning with a 3-2 win over Rio Hondo and lost by the same score against LBCC, 3-2 in the afternoon match.

In the middle match, LBCC defeated Rio Hondo, 4-1.

Long Beach CC improves to 2-0 in conference in second place, and Mt. SAC slips to third at 2-1.

"(Friday) was a competitive day with some of the best teams in the region," Mt. SAC coach Samantha Neely said. "I am proud of the effort and energy that every one of our girls put forward today despite some challenges we had to overcome.

"We came out on top against Rio and fell just short against Long Beach. We were pushed in different ways and know what we need to improve upon to continue to achieve our goals. I know our team will respond with intensity and a positive attitude at practice on Monday."

Mt. SAC 3, Rio Hondo 2

The morning match was a nail-biter as it came down to the 5's freshman team of Freda Lei/Eva Becerra to pull out the 3-set win (21-11, 9-21, 15-11) for the pair.

The match was tied, 2-2, at the time.

Becerra: "(Rio Hondo) was our biggest rival in indoor, and it feels really good to get the win. Rio is a really good team, and they are scrappy. They are a good team to play always."

Lei: "Beach is an individual pairs sport, but also a team sport in a sense where three of the five pairs have to win. It was nerve-wracking and it (came) down to us and we're the last ones playing, and everyone is watching, and it feels good to pull out the win."

Highlighting the match for the Mounties was another win for the 2's team of Elizabeth Ortiz/Capri Salmon (22-20, 18-21, 15-8). The pair has dropped only one match this season.

The 3's team of Andrea Brewer/Zyra Green swept their opponents, 21-11, 21-12.

LBCC 3, Mt. SAC 2

The Vikings won to remain undefeated in the conference in the third match of the day and second for the Mounties.

Ortiz and Salmon competed as the 3's in the match and kept up their winning ways this season with a 3-set win (21-10,14-21, 15-4).

The other win for Mt. SAC came from the 2's (Brewer/Green) with their second match win of the day, 21-15, 21-23, 15-10.

Mt. SAC continues SCC action on Friday, March 15 against Cerritos College at Mountie Beach.