The VC beach volleyball team got a quick jump in the Western State Conference race Friday, defeating Bakersfield 5-0 and previously unbeaten Santa Barbara 4-1 at the Ventura Harbor Courts in matches hosted by Moorpark. The Pirates' No. 1 team of Kayla Murdoch and Autumn Rojelio Moreno won two matches, claiming Ventura's first point against the Vaqueros in a key early WSC match-up. Olivia Sletten and Ashley Johnson, Katey Mulville and Averi Carter, and Bryce Swain and Kylie Ibbotson all won two matches for VC (10-1, 2-0).
Ventura got off to a quick start, sweeping past Bakersfield for the 5-0 win. Mulville and Carter started the day with their 21-5, 21-10 win in the No. 3 match before Grace Williams and Alba Romanos Gracia claimed the No. 5 slot, 21-9, 21-6. Murdoch and Rojelio Moreno clinched the match with their 21-10, 21-9 win at No. 1 and Ibbotson and Swain posted their 21-8, 21-13 triumph in the No. 4 contest. Sletten and Johnson finished off the sweep over the Renegade Knights with a 21-13, 21-10 win in the No. 2 match.
VC's second match-up of the day pitted a pair of the state's heavyweights against each other. The Vaqueros came into the match with a 10-0 record while Ventura was a perfect 8-0 against community college competition on the season. Something had to give.
Ventura got off the the quick start as Murdoch and Rojelio Moreno provided the spark with their 21-16, 21-7 win in the top slot. Sletten and Johnson followed with a 21-14, 21-12 triumph in the No. 2 match before Mulville and Carter clinched the Pirate victory with a 21-9, 21-19 victory at No. 3. Ibbotson and Swain provided a hard-fought 21-19, 21-14 win at No. 5 before Williams and Romanos Gracia came from behind to force a decisive third set before dropping the 21-12, 7-21, 15-10 decision.
The Pirates next travel to Bakersfield on Friday March 24 to take on Moorpark and Santa Monica.
Ventura 5, Bakersfield 0
1. Kayla Murdoch/Autumn Rojelio Moreno (VC) def. Nattelyn Burns/Aubree Dees (BC), 21-10, 21-9
2. Olivia Sletten/Ashley Johnson (VC) def. Kya Jones/Monet Panther (BC), 21-13, 21-20
3. Katey Mulville/Averi Carter (VC) def. Reenah Sullivan/Samantha Villanueva (BC), 21-5, 21-10
4. Kylie Ibbotson/Bryce Swain (VC) def. Haley Tedrow/Emily Flores (BC), 21-8, 21-13
5. Grace Williams/Alba Romanos Gracia (VC) def. Haley Tedrow/Emily Flores (BC), 21-9, 21-6
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 1, 4, 2
Ventura 4, Santa Barbara 1
1. Kayla Murdoch/Autumn Rojelio Moreno (VC) def. Karoline Ruiz/Emma Crabbe (SBCC), 21-16, 21-7
2. Olivia Sletten/Ashley Johnson (VC) def. Jacelin McKie/ (SBCC), 21-14, 21-12
3. Katey Mulville/Averi Carter (VC) def. Piper Ellbogn-Pettersen/ (SBCC), 21-9, 21-19
4. Grace Williams/Alba Romanos Gracia (VC) lost to Irey Therese Sandholt/Paige Rudi (SBCC), 21-12, 7-21, 15-10
5. Kylie Ibbotson/Bryce Swain (VC) def. #2/#4 (SBCC), 21-19, 21-14
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 5, 4