Oceanside, Calif. – The Mt. SAC Beach Volleyball Team's season came to a close on Tuesday, April 29, following a hard-fought run at the Southern California Team Regionals. The Mounties edged past Mt. San Jacinto 3-2 in their opening match but were narrowly defeated 2-3 by MiraCosta in the second round, ending their bid for a spot at the CCCAA State Championship, set for May 8–10 at Long Beach City College.
In their first matchup, Mt. SAC's top pair of Candace Ceballos and Madeline Castillo delivered a dominant performance, beating Josephine Springer and Korie Milan in straight sets (21-9, 21-17). The No. 3 pair, Emma Carson and Eva Fisher, also swept their opponents Isabella Johnson and Jade Tolliver, 21-12, 21-14. The decisive third point came from the No. 5 duo of Kaylin Mendoza and Jeanie Rhodes, who outlasted Kalia Anady and Angelina Browder in a thrilling three-setter (21-18, 11-21, 18-16).
Despite strong showings, the Mounties dropped matches at the No. 2 and No. 4 spots. Itzel Aguayo and Freda Lei were overcome by Megan Gajda and Brooklyn Jimenez (12-21, 14-21), while Eva Becerra and Mayah Tiscareno fell in a tightly contested three-set match to Amari Ramirez and Sienna Vitelli (19-21, 21-18, 15-17).
In the second round against host MiraCosta, Mt. SAC again put up a strong fight. Becerra and Tiscareno rebounded with a straight-set victory over Alexia Bigelow and Megan Jo Martin (21-10, 21-18), and Mendoza and Rhodes were awarded a win by forfeit in their match. However, Ceballos and Castillo were unable to overcome the top-ranked pair in Southern California, Daysha Halbert and Kiara Keibel, falling 11-21, 12-21. Aguayo and Lei dropped a close match to Alexis Jones and Daniela Szajkowski (20-22, 16-21), and in the deciding match, Carson and Fisher came up short in a three-set battle against Kate Beezer and Keira Heckel (8-21, 21-19, 8-15), sealing the 3-2 loss for Mt. SAC.
While the team campaign ends here, the season isn't over for everyone. The standout No. 1 pair of Ceballos and Castillo will represent Mt. SAC at the Southern California Pairs Regionals on Friday, May 2, where they'll face Sadie Lishman and Talia Behrens of Ventura College. Come out and support the duo at Mt. San Antonio College for a day of high-level beach volleyball action.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.