San Marcos places third
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The San Marcos girls volleyball team finished third at the San Luis Obispo invitational Saturday.
The Royals beat teams from Clovis North, Oaks Christian and Arroyo Grande before falling in the semifinals to Clovis North 16-14 in what Coach Dwayne Hauschild called “an absolute battle.”
Coach Hauschild praised several of the Royals for fantastic performances: Eloise McGibben, Riley Green and Lily Blankenhorn. “But extra credit goes to Ava Cole, who was unfortunately lost to injury in the semifinal game but was solid all weekend and was awarded All Tournament honors for her terrific efforts in leading the Royals to this fantastic finish.”
— Dave Mason
UCSB defeats Northwestern
LARAMIE, Wyo..— UCSB volleyball player Tallulah Froley has reason to smile.
She enjoyed her third straight 15-plus kill match Saturday when the Gauchos defeated Northwestern in Laramie, Wyo. Froley led all players with a whopping 16 kills.
Not bad at all, and it sets a positive stage for the UCSB women’s volleyball team as it gears up for next weekend’s Thunderdome Classic.
On Saturday, UCSB defeated Northwestern with the Gauchos winning 27-25, 25-19 and 25-16. Northwestern won only one set, 25-20.
Gauchos athletes Michelle Ohwobete and Abrielle Bross each had 10 kills, according to a UCSB news release. Ohwobete collected nine digs, and Bross hit a perfect 10-0-20 clip. Rowan Ennis picked up another eight blocks, giving her a total of 22 for the weekend.
Ohwobete, Macall Peed and Grace McInosh sent down two aces.
At the Thunderdome Classic, UCSB will host a trio of matches with Washington State and VCU.
— Dave Mason
SBCC water polo players succeed in SLO
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The women’s water polo team from Santa Barbara City College made a big splash at Cuesta Invitational with a 3-1 record.
The Vaqueros’ string of victories continued with a 16-2 defeat of Fresno on Friday and a 15-4 win over Diablo Valley on Saturday.
The single loss came when West Valley defeated City College 12-5 in the Vaqueros’ final game for the weekend.
Next weekend, City College will play several games at the RCC Tournament hosted by Citrus College.
— Dave Mason
Carpinteria places third at water polo tournament
MALIBU — The Carpinteria boys water polo team finished in third place at the 20th Annual Varsity Water Polo Tournament, which took place Thursday through Saturday at Malibu High School.
“The Warriors took a tough loss at the hands of Northern California powerhouse Los Gatos Wildcats in the second period of sudden death overtime with a score 7-8,” Coach Jon Otsuki said in an email to the News-Press. “It was the first loss of the season for the Warriors as they struggled to find a rhythm offensively, and the Wildcats took advantage of forced passes and misplaced shots from the perimeter.
“The Warriors and Wildcats had similar game strategy, which contributed to the close score throughout the contest,” he said.
Asher Smith and Mateo Handall accounted for all 7 of the Warriors’ goals, Smith with 4 and Handall scoring 3.
“Goalie Jacob Taff had an amazing 18 blocks,” Coach Otsuki said.
The Warriors won their final battle for third place in their match with the Agoura High School Chargers, during which Carpinteria was ahead 7-2 by the end of the half.
Despite some trouble during the third quarter, the Warriors remained ahead 12-6 with key contributions from the bench, Coach Otsuki said.
The final score was Carpinteria, 12; Agoura, 9.
Lead scorer again for the Warriors was Asher Smith with 4, followed by Justin Main and Reyn Clayton with 2 apiece and Ian Thomas, Augie Sheaffer and Gavin Lohuis, each with one.
The Warriors will face off against the Foothill Tech Dragons on Tuesday in Carpinteria.
— Dave Mason
