On the heels of Thursday's state runner-up finish in the team tournament, the VC beach volleyball team send two duos to the Sweet 16 of the CCCAA Pairs Tournament in pool play Friday at West Valley College. The Pirates' Ashley Johnson and Olivia Sletten won their pool while Kayla Murdoch and Autumn Rojelio Moreno finished second in theirs to advance to Saturday's 16-team single-elimination bracket to determine the state champion.
In morning matches, Johnson and Sletten, the the SoCal No. 2-seed and top seed in the pool, took to the stage for the Pirates. Their first match featured the VC pair against the No. 2 team from Irvine Valley College with Johnson and Sletten coming from behind to prevail in a three-set nail-biter, 19-21, 21-18, 17-15. The Pirate team then took on the No. 2 team from Long Beach, winning inn straight sets, 21-10, 21-11. Johnson and Sletten finished their day with a 21-10, 21-11 triumph over the No. 4 team from Feather River to win the pool and advance to Saturday's final draw.
Meanwhile, Ventura's Averi Carter and Katey Mulville also competed in the morning. The No. 8-seed from SoCal won their opener 21-18, 21-14 over the top pair from Golden West. The Ventura duo then fell in their second match against the No. 3 team from Cabrillo, 21-16, 21-17. In their final match of the morning, Carter and Mulville faced off against the No. 1 team from Feather River, dropping a heartbreaker, 26-24, 21-14 to end their season.
In the afternoon pool play, Murdoch and Rojelio took to the sand as their pool's top seed, the No. 3-seed from SoCal. The Pirates were upset in the opener by the top pair from San Diego Mesa, SoCal's No. 11-seed, 21-18, 22-20. Murdoch and Rojelio rebounded, however, pouring in on making quick work against the top team from College of the Desert, 21-11, 21-8. In a win-or-go-home match in the finale, the Ventura duo eliminated the No. 4 pair from Cabrillo, 21-16, 23-21 to move into Saturday's matches.
Murdoch and Rojelio will open play Saturday against a familiar foe. They will battle the top team from Santa Barbara for the sixth time this season. Meanwhile, Johnson and Sletten play the No. 3 twosome from Orange Coast. With two wins each, the Pirate pairs would face off in the state semifinals.