Nothing is more ideal than spring break at Manhattan Beach Pier and the Park University Gilbert beach volleyball team spent their Monday splitting a pair of Cal Pac matches with a win over Marymount California and a loss to Westcliff.
After uncharacteristic rainy conditions in California forced the matches to be bumped from Friday to today and No. 5 Saint Katherine had to drop out due to COVID, the Buccaneers opened the day against Westcliff.
The Warriors pulled off a rare sweep of the Buccaneers in match one. Only the Buccaneers' No. 2's (Annika Wallace/Megan Hicks) and No. 4's (Grace Hughes/Georgia Romine-Black) even forced a third set. The rarity of the Buccaneers being swept cannot be understated. Prior to today, they had only been swept once before by NAIA competition; that happened against Saint Katherine during last season's Cal Pac Tournament.
The Buccaneers returned to form in the second match of the day, pulling off a 5-0 sweep of Marymount California. The Buccaneers were dominant, not even allowing the Mariners to take a set off of them. The matches ended in the same order they started, as the No. 2's (Wallace/Hicks) and No. 4's (Hughes/Romine-Black) picked up the first two wins. Then, the Buccaneers' No. 1's (Miranda Bacon/Jenifer Lauer) finished things off handily, holding their opponents to single digits in both sets.
The No. 3's (Giuliana Kala'l Irvine/Haylee Kroczynski) and No. 5's (Gabriela Morales/Jasmine Urban) rounded out the day for the Buccaneers, but were nothing more than a formality with the match clinched. Morales's appearances marked her season debut and her first time pairing with Urban.
What's Next: The Buccaneers have a quick turnaround, as they are scheduled to play again on Thursday, March 10. They will play NCAA DII Wayne State College (1 p.m.) and a conference match against Benedictine Mesa (3 p.m.) at Gene Autry Park in Mesa, Ariz.
NOTE: Due to a reporting mistake, an earlier version of this story stated that Marymount California defeated Park University Gilbert, 5-0.
Park University Gilbert vs. Westcliff (11 a.m.)
FINAL: Westcliff 5, Park Gilbert 0
1. Gianna Guinasso/Sierra Lim (WEST) Def. Miranda Bacon/Jenifer Lauer (PARK): 2-0 (21-14, 21-15)
2. Kylie Cordero/Brooke Schielde (WEST) Def. Annika Wallace/Megan Hicks (PARK): 2-1 (21-6, 15-21, 15-10)
3. Elena Eckhardt/Megan Yoon (WEST) Def. Giuliana Kala'l Irvine/Haylee Kroczynski (PARK): 2-0 (21-14, 21-17)
4. Madison Shepston/Ava Wright (WEST) Def. Grace Hughes/Georgia Romine-Black (PARK): 2-1 (20-22, 21-18, 16-14)
5. Kenidi MacDonald/Jesse Coralle (WEST) Def. Gabriela Morales/Jasmine Urban (PARK): 2-0 (21-15, 21-13)*
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5*, 1, 3
Park University Gilbert vs. Marymount California (12:30 p.m.)
FINAL: Park Gilbert 5, Marymount California 0
1. Miranda Bacon/Jenifer Lauer (PARK) Def. Logan Kaneshiro/Mariana Turner (MCU): 2-0 (21-7, 21-9)
2. Annika Wallace/Megan Hicks (PARK) Def. Jordan Schriman/Torri Lambert (MCU): 2-0 (21-10, 21-11)
3. Giuliana Kala'l Irvine/Haylee Kroczynski (PARK) Def. Cat Angus/Jacqueline Foster (MCU): 2-0 (21-17, 21-13)
4. Grace Hughes/Georgia Romine-Black (PARK) Def. Jordan Nunez/Sydney Jackson (MCU): 2-0, (21-10, 21-8)
5. Gabriela Morales/Jasmine Urban (PARK) Def. Kiara Amigon/Haily Murray (MCU): 2-0, (21-12, 21-7)
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1*, 3, 5
