The Pirates' beach volleyball team claimed a pair of wins Friday over the Grapevine in Bakersfield, defeating the host Renegades 3-2 before besting Cuesta 4-1. The No. 4 pair of Addison Olsen and Giannamay Tayco went 2-1 on the day while Ventura 5's Beira Boyso and Taylor Lane won their only contest. Shai Daniels and Viola Barrios won the clincher in the 3-2 decision against Bakersfield in three sets.
Matches were played in two rounds at Cal State Bakersfield. The first round consisted of Pairs 2, 4, and 6 (exhibition), and the second included Pairs 1, 3, and 5 in the three-court facility.
The Pirates and Renegades hit the courts first with Ventura jumping out to a strong start. VC secured the first two wins in Nos. 2 and 4, respectively, as Talia Behrens and Sadie Lishman dropped the first set but followed it up with a confident second set and a 15-11 win in the tiebreaker at No. 2. Tayco and Olsen won in straight sets at No. 4, 21-17, 21-19.
In the second rotation, Daphne Raymond and Olivia Brown won the first set at no. 5 but were unable to carry that momentum through and lost a close third set 15-13. Meanwhile Ventura also dropped the No. 3 match with Skylar Rutherford and Lexi Brinkman.
The Pirates, tied 2-2, had to rely on their duo of Daniels and Barrios to secure the team win. VC's top pair dropped their first set 21-15, but built strong momentum in the second set, winning 21-13. Both teams gathered at Court 1 for the finish as Barrios served a pair of aces to put the Pirates up 14-11, finishing the match 15-13 to give Ventura the 3-2 victory over BC.
The Pirates' second dual was against Cuesta, a team they defeated 4-1 during a rainstorm at the Ventura Harbor Courts earlier in the season. Ventura found its groove in the second matches of the day for each duo, winning in straight sets at Nos. 2 through 5. Brinkman and Rutherford couldn't miss against the Cougars and won 21-10, 21-10 at No. 3 while Lane and Boyso came in at No. 5 and won 21-10, 21-17.
Overall, the Pirates had a strong showing in Bakersfield and left with two wins.
VC will next travel to Santa Barbara to play against the host Vaqueros and Glendale on Friday April 11.
Ventura 3, Bakersfield 2
1. Shai Daniels/Viola Barrios (VC) def. Bakersfield 1's (BC), 16-21, 21-13, 15-13
2. Talia Behrens/Sadie Lishman (VC) def. Bakersfield 2's (BC) 19-21, 21-8, 15-11
3. Skylar Rutherford/Lexi Brinkman (VC) lost to Bakersfield 3's (BC) 21-12, 21-17
4. Addison Olsen/Giannamay Tayco (VC) def. Bakersfield 4's (BC) 21-17, 21-19
5. Olivia Brown/Daphne Raymond (VC) lost to Bakersfield 5's (BC), 19-21, 21-15, 15-13
Ventura 4, Cuesta 1
1. Shai Daniels/Viola Barrios (VC) lost to Cuesta 1's (Cue.), 22-20, 17-21, 16-14
2. Talia Behrens/Sadie Lishman (VC) def. Cuesta 2's (Cue.) 21-16, 21-7
3. Skylar Rutherford/Lexi Brinkman (VC) def. Cuesta 3's (Cue.) 21-10, 21-10
4. Addison Olsen/Giannamay Tayco (VC) def. Cuesta 4's (Cue.) 21-10, 21-15
5. Beira Boyso/Taylor Lane (VC) def. Cuesta 5's (Cue.), 21-10, 21-17