The EC sand volleyball team inaugurated the newly added sport, winning their season opener against both Rio Hondo College and L.A. Pierce College.

The Warriors beat Rio Hondo 5-0, and ended the day with a 4-1 victory over L.A. Pierce.

“This is their first competition; brand new sport as an intercollegiate sport for EC,” coach LeValley Pattison said. “I think we represented the brand new team pretty well.”

Indoor volleyball veterans also played their first sand volleyball game for the Warriors, including Laynie Thompson. Thompson and her partner, Sadie Fraker, another EC indoor volleyball veteran, won both of their matches. They beat Rio Hondo College 21-11 and 21-9, and L.A. Pierce 21-13 and 21-14.

“I think we just stuck to the basics and we really just made it our own game,” Thompson said. “It’s hard to play like this because you’ve never seen these people before and you have to just go along and figure out what their weaknesses are.”

Another indoor volleyball player for EC that made her sand volleyball debut for the Warriors was Nia Masui.

“I feel like we kept our energy up good the whole time and we’ve all managed to really support each other,” Masui said. “When our teammate’s down we do a really good job of picking them back up and just stay positive as much as we can.”

Masui also spoke about the differences between indoor and sand volleyball.

“We’re all getting used to warming up on our own, not being in a whole team, so getting used to doing our own thing,” Masui said. “We’re looking forward to the rest of the season. Hopefully we’ll get into the swing of things quicker and know what to expect next time.”

Last semester, the indoor volleyball team went 24-3 and made it to the third round of the Southern California Playoffs. They went undefeated in the SCC with a record of 14-0. This semester, the majority of the indoor volleyball team has transitioned over to the world of sand volleyball, bringing prior volleyball experience with them.

The Warriors now hold a perfect 2-0 record to begin the season. Their next games will be hosted by EC.

The Warriors will take on Cypress College at 11 a.m. followed by their meet against Santa Barbara City College at 1 p.m.

To see the full schedule for EC’s sand volleyball team click here.