The Ventura College beach volleyball team of Sarah Veloz and Tori Hiott advanced to the CCCAA State Championships in play Friday at the Western State Conference Championships at El Camino College. The Pirates' top-seeded team defeated a team from Bakersfield College 21-10, 21-11 in the round of 16 to qualify for state.
Veloz and Hiott received the No. 2-seed in the tournament, receiving a first round bye through the round of 32 which was held Wednesday. They then defeated the Renegades' No. 3 team before falling to the eventual conference champions, the No. 2 team and 7-seed from host El Camino.
In the regular season, the Pirates finished second place in conference play posting a 7-2 record, with the only two losses coming to El Camino. In an odd seeding process for the first-year sport that one conference coach called "simply misrepresenting the game of volleyball," the other four Ventura teams had to face off against teams from El Camino.
Despite their best efforts, the teams of Paris Dosch and Brittany Mukhar, Cristal Gonzalez and Cassandra Lacanilao, Sierra Joyner and Cassidy Simental, and Kierra Joyner and Braxton Jessie all fell in first round matches against the Warriors.
Veloz and Hiott advance to play in the CCCAA State Individual Championships to be held Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8 at Grossmont College in El Cajon.