On a long day at West Valley College from a cool morning to warm afternoon sun, the Pirate beach volleyball team gave all they could until the shadows grew long Thursday, advancing to the CCCAA state championship match with a victory in pool play before falling in a heartbreakingly close 3-2 decision to Grossmont in the final. Ventura (22-3-1) ends the best season in program history with the assurance that they left everything on the courts competing in the final match on the final day of the season.
In the morning match, the South No. 1-seed Pirates faced off with Western State Conference foe Santa Barbara, seeded No.3 from SoCal, for the fourth time this season. With all five matches taking place simultaneously, the action was fast-paced and the excitement built throughout the contest. VC went ahead on four of the five courts early, taking the first set over the Vaqueros at Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5. Santa Barbara came back, however, to build leads on three of those, leading Ventura 11-9 at No. 1, 11-10 at No. 3 and 9-5 on No. 5 in the second set.
Ashley Johnson and Olivia Sletten were the first Pirate pair to win a point at state, claiming their No. 2 match 21-15, 21-16 and the No. 3 duo of Averi Carter and Katey Mulville claimed their match 21-11, 24-22 for a 2-1 Ventura advantage after SBCC claimed Court 4 over VC's Alba Romanos-Gracia and Grace Williams. The Pirates' No. 5 pair of Bryce Swain and Kylie Ibbotson swept the Vaqueros, 21-15, 22-20 to clinch the victory.
BVB��: @VCVolleyball clinches match with a 22-20 2nd set win over @SBCCVaqs at Court 5! 1s still in 3rd set. pic.twitter.com/uszJBNmlwc
— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) May 11, 2023
Meanwhile, Court 1 went to a third set, and a positive result was still on the line in case of a tiebreaker later in the day. Kayla Murdoch and Autumn Rojelio Moreno clinched the win, 21-15, 18-21, 15-9 to give Ventura the 4-1 victory over Santa Barbara.
BVB��: @VCVolleyball finishes the 4-1 win over @SBCCVaqs with a 3rd set win at the 1s! #GoPiratesGo pic.twitter.com/i4EuL8I2TE
— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) May 11, 2023
In the next pool-play contest, Santa Barbara rebounded to defeat North No. 2 Feather River 3-2, setting the stage for Ventura to advance to the state championship by winning two matches in the afternoon pool-play match-up.
The temperatures and pressure both rose into the early afternoon as the Pirates faced off with the eagles, the 2022 state runner-up. As they had done in the morning, VC moved ahead early in four of the five matches, and Murdoch and Rojelio was the first to claim a set at No. 1. the Pirate 5's, Swain and Ibbotson, also won the first set, as did Carter and Mulville at No. 3. the Pirates led on three of the five courts needing two wins to advance.
Murdoch and Rojelio put Ventura in the driver's seat by sweeping on Court 1, 21-10, 21-19, but things heated up at that point. First, VC's 4's dropped their match as Feather River tied the score 1-1 while Johnson and Sletten forced a third set on Court 2. Swain and Ibbotson fell on Court 5 to go to a third, as did Carter and Mulville on Court 3. There were three sets in the race to 15 points, with VC needing one win to advance.
The Pirates dropped Court No. 3, 16-21, 21-19,15-6 leaving just two courts available for one victory. Swain and Ibbotson were ahead 11-5 before an injury halted play temporarily but Johnson and Sletten continued to move forward, leading in their third set. A Johnson hit to the back right corner gave the Pirates the triumph, 19-21, 21-15, 15-8, qualifying Ventura for its first state title match in program history. Swain and Ibbotson led 11-5 when play was halted for the 2-2-1 final score against the Eagles.
BVB��: @VCVolleyball moves to the @3c2a state finals with a 15-8 win in the 3rd set of the 2s match. Match tied 2-2 and Vc wins all tiebreakers. 3s leading 11-5 when match clinched. @ventura_college @TheAcornSports @vcscolleges pic.twitter.com/RuZPQWPIS7
— VCPirateAthletics (@VCAthletics) May 11, 2023
The CCCAAState Championship featured the Pirates against SoCal No. 4-seed Grossmont. The tension grew as the shadows grew longer throughout the late afternoon match.
Early on it was apparent that the title would be decided on three courts. VC's No. 1's dropped their first set to a Griffin pair that had won the SoCal Regional Tournament last weekend and the Pirate No. 4's also fell in their opening set. Meanwhile, the VC 3's claimed their first set along with the 2's and the 5's, the latter by a highly contested 21-19 score.
Carter and Mulville claimed the first point of the match, winning Court 3 in dominating fashion, 21-8, 21-9. Johnson and Sletten soon followed with a solid 21-17, 21-8 win on Court 2 and the Pirates were one win away from the crown.
Grossmont came storming back with sweeping wins on Courts 1 and 4, respectively, leaving the championship in the balance on Court 5.
Swain and Ibbotson, with a set in hand, battled through the second set against a Griffin pair who had played as the No. 2 or No. 3 team in the line-up for much of the season, and were the second duo from Grossmont to reach the pairs regionals last weekend. The Pirate pari gave a valiant effort, holding off our set points and earning one championship point before falling 26-24 to send the court and the match into a deciding third set.
Grossmont moved out to a 3-2 lead after the first switch in the third before VC came back to a 5-5 tie on the second. The Girffins led 8-7 on the third before winning four of the next five points to claim a 12-8 lead. Swain and Ibbotson won three of the next four points to pull to within 13-11 before Grossmont won the final two serves breaking the hearts of the Pirates.
However, despite falling short in the championship match by the slimmest of margins, the VC beach volleyball team had a phenomenal season. The won the Pirates' third WSC title in program history in a three-match duel with Santa Barbara and won a record 22 matches against three losses, two against community college competition. Additionally, VC still has three pairs in the CCCAA State Pairs Tournament Friday and Saturday in Saratoga, Murdoch and Rojelio, Johnson and Sletten, and Carter and Mulville. With four of the five pairs slated to return to the Ventura line-up in 2024, it would not be surprising to see the Pirates back at state in the near future.
Ventura 4, Santa Barbara 1; Pool Game 1
1. Rojelio-Moreno/Murdoch (VC) def. Crabbe/Medina (SBCC), 21-15, 18-21, 15-9
2. Johnson/Sletten (VC) def. McKie/Ruiz (SBCC), 21-15, 21-16
3. Carter/Mulville (VC) def. Tommeraason/Ellbogn-Petterson (SBCC), 21-11, 24-22
4. Romanos-Garcia/Williams (VC) lost to Rudi/Sandholt (SBCC), 21-10, 21-7
5. Swain/Ibbotson (VC) def. Russell/Zevenbergen (SBCC), 21-15, 22-20
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
Ventura 2, Feather River 2, Pool Game 2
1. Rojelio-Moreno/Murdoch (VC) def. Sheridan/Chainey (FRC), 21-10, 21-19
2. Johnson/Sletten (VC) def. Gee/Faupula (FRC), 19-21, 21-15, 15-8
3. Carter/Mulville (VC) lost to Saiers/Daughterty (FRC), 16-21, 21-19,15-6
4. Romanos-Garcia/Williams (VC) lost to Blomquist/Bolich (FRC), 21-14, 21-12
5. Swain/Ibbotson (VC) vs. Cogburn/Kraft (FRC), 21-15, 19-21, 11-5, DNF
Order f Finish: 1, 4, 3, 2
Ventura 2, Grossmont 3, CCCAA State Championship
1. Rojelio-Moreno/Murdoch (VC) lost to Bogle/Embry (GC), 21-11, 21-15
2. Johnson/Sletten (VC) def. Guidice/Pena (GC), 21-17, 21-8
3. Carter/Mulville (VC) def. Suggett/Guise (GC), 21-8, 21-9
4. Romanos-Garcia/Williams (VC) lost to Dum/Hitt (GC), 21-10, 21-13
5. Swain/Ibbotson (VC) lost to Werner/Trendler (GC), 19-21, 26-24, 15-11
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 5