Solano College is in its second season as a beach volleyball program and is making noise on the NorCal stage. Last week they edged out their fellow Falcon friends at FLC, another program having a strong season, 3-2. ARC is in its 4th season of beach volleyball and both programs, ARC and Solano, entered the dual with very similar records, 11-3 and 13-2 respectively.

The excitement kicked off early with two exhibition matches. ARC's Mylee Finney and Aria Woltz paired up for the second time this season and started things off with a decisive 2-0 victory in. Clear communication, strong serve-receive, and offensive execution were keys to success. Alongside Finney/Woltz, ARC pair Addy Tagala and Chloe Lester paired up in their first exhibition of the day. Their communication and relentless pursuit continued to showcase the Beavers' depth as they also rolled to a 2-0 victory.

The drama continued into the 1^st wave of the dual with 4 matches kicking off at the same time. Lillie Miranda/Maddy Seabury, Gwendolyn Hansen/Kaylee Astacio, Chloe Lester/Addy Tagala, and Jayda Moran/Aria Woltz started simultaneously as the unseasonable high afternoon temps hit 90 degrees.

Pictured: Addy Tagala goes up for attack while playing Solano. 

The first two official points of the dual were split between Solano and ARC. Miranda/Seabury struck first for the Beavs with exceptional red zone play leading to a 2-0 victory in the 2-slot. Hansen/Astacio fought hard and crept close to a comeback before eventually falling at the 4s, 16-21, 19-21.

Pictured: Maddy Seabury and Lillie Miranda connect on the court.  

In the same wave, Moran/Woltz had the performance of the season on the scorching sand of Court 4. The exhibited a balance of physicality and control and won their match 2-0. Lester/Tagala were paired up for their second match of the day and continued the momentum with another decisive 2-0 victory. Again, communication and offensive touch shined (almost) brighter than the afternoon sun.

With the points split 1 and 1, the second wave of play would decide the dual. Margaret O'Brien/Maya Mishchuk continued their debut day at the 1s, Maddy Rossman/Aurora Meneghetti held down the 3s, and Anabelle Gomez/Gillian Rossi got ready to play their first match of the long day at the 5s.

Gomez/Rossi jumped out to an early lead and their strong play left no room for questions. They scored ARC's second point in a quick 2-0 sweep. Rossman/Meneghetti edged Mass/Ierome 21-19 in a tight first set, setting up an opportunity to clinch the dual in the second. From the 10^th point on, the pair showed exceptional offensive efficiency. Once they established a small lead, they sided out to a 21-16 victory and brought home the team win.

As the sun finally started to get lower in the sky, the 1s court continued with a great game between two talented duos. Guintu/Reyes of Solano have proven they can beat anybody in the Big 8 Conference and O'Brien/Mishchuk of ARC are a new pair on the scene. The match-up did not disappoint. O'Brien/Mishchuk are both physical offensive players and Guintu/Reyes play relentless defense. The match went to overage in the 3^rd with Solano winning in overage, 17-15.

Results:

Solano and ARC will meet next on Friday, April 17^th, to finish up regular season Big 8 play at Solano's brand-new beach facility.

Pictured: (left to right) Maddy Rossman, Maddy Seabury, Maya Mishchuk at Sacramento Softball Complex.