Pirates Complete Second Round of WSC Play

During another beautiful Spring beach day in Ventura Friday, the VC beach volleyball team wrapped up the second round of Western State Conference play with a pair of decisive 5-0 sweeps over Moorpark and Santa Monica. The Pirates' fire power was on full display as they dominated in straight sets in all spots against the Raiders and Corsairs.

Ventura (15-2, 7-1) kicked off the morning with quick victories in all matches against MC with no opponent scoring more than 16 points in a set.  The most impressive scores of the round came at the No. 4 spot where Grace Williams and Alba Romanos Gracia won 21-14, 21-8. Romanos Gracia had and extra incentive to play well to as her family was visiting from her home country of Spain for the first time.

As the host school, Ventura played the first and last duals of the day and began the final round against Santa Monica in the early afternoon. Moderate ocean breezes swirled in the harbor, but that is nothing new for the Pirates. Their experience showed during their win over the Corsairs, highlighted Kayla Murdoch and Autumn Rojelio Moreno as they limited Santa Monica's top pair in single digits in a 21-7, 21-5 win. Court 2 wasn't far behind as Olivia Sletten and Ashley Johnson delivered a 21-8, 21-10 blowout. Williams and Romanos Gracia were surrounded by the rest of the team on Court 4 as they secured the final win of the day with a smart shot by Williams, winning 21-14, 21-17.

Ventura will face their most important match of the season on Friday April 14 when they face Santa Barbara for a third time. The Pirates and Vaqueros have proven to be among the top tier in Southern California, and a victory Friday will likely result in a WSC championship and top playoff seed. The rivals will face off at 10:00 am, and VC will follow up the match with an 11:00 am dual against Bakersfield.

Ventura 5, Moorpark 0

1. Autumn Rojelio Moreno/Kayla Murdoch (VC) def. Hailey Walton/Larissa Dakoske (MC), 21-16, 21-11
2. Ashley Johnson/Olivia Sletten def. Brooke Bunker/Cashe Olswang (MC), 21-14, 21-11
3. Averi Carter/Katey Mulville def. Emma Songco/Brooke Macfadyen (MC), 21-11, 21-19
4. Alba Romanos Gracia/Grace Williams def. Makenna Majus/Jasleen Schefrin (MC), 21-14, 21-8
5. Bryce Swain/Kylie Ibbotson def. Skyler Costa/Grace Garland (MC), 21-12, 21-11

Ventura 5, Santa Monica 0

1. Autumn Rojelio Moreno/Kayla Murdoch def. Mackenzie Wolff/Scheala Nielsen (SMC), 21-7, 21-5
2. Ashley Johnson/Olivia Sletten def. Ariana Urena/Sophia Lawrence (SMC), 21-8, 21-10
3. Averi Carter/Katey Mulville def. Mia Paulson/Trisha Fields (SMC), 21-12, 21-16
4. Alba Romanos Gracia/Grace Williams def. Halle Anderson/Lanie Desand-Smith (SMC), 21-14, 21-17
5. Bryce Swain/Kylie Ibbotson def. Elizabeth Heisor/Chiara Roble (SMC), 21-13, 21-11  

(contributed by Samantha Calisto)