It’s like it’s 2016 all over again and the El Camino beach volleyball team is off to a hot-start, with all five pairs competing in dominating fashion.

The Warriors have begun the 2017 season 3-0 as a team and they host the Cypress College Chargers on Friday for the second time this season.

“We will be ready to play them on Friday and hopefully come out on top,” sophomore Michelle Shimamoto said.

The Warriors came up big in their most recent match-up versus Golden West College last Friday, when they won 3-2, despite making a change in the line-up.

Sophomores Taylor Brydon and Brooklyn Rubio (who played against Cypress as the No. 1 pair) were moved to the No. 2 pair position, but Brydon said that the move doesn’t matter to her.

“Our goal is to win,” she said. “Whether that be as (our team’s No. 1 seed) or not, winning is still our focus. Ours No. 1 and No. 2 (teams) are both skilled enough to be playing in the (top) spot.”

In 2016 EC lost a team exhibition match to Cal State University Northridge in its third match, while its first official loss came against Santa Barbara City College, in the final match of the regular season.

Seven players in this year’s starting five pairs make their return to the team and while only four of them were starters last year, the team is still looking to be a dominant threat.

The returning sophomores Rubio, Brydon, Nina Wyer, Cassie Montani, Michelle Shimamoto, Kiana Takahashi and Victoria Curtice.

Repeating history:

The Warriors are in for what seems to be an easy match-up against the Chargers who have yet to take a single game in the three years of play, since beach volleyball’s inaugural season in 2015.

• March 6, 2015 – El Camino takes down Cypress 5-0, according to the California Community College Athletic Association’s archives.
• March 4, 2016 – The Warriors open the season with a 5-0 sweep.
• March 30, 2016 – El Camino records its eight sweep in a 5-0 win.
• Feb. 15, 2017 – Warriors open season with another 5-0 win vs. Cypress.

“I wouldn’t say Cypress is an easy team,” Brydon said. “But I definitely think we’re better and it shows in our record against them.”