Final games of the season and the pressure is as real as it can get.

Beat the the No. 1 team in the state, beat the sixth-ranked team in conference and hope Long Beach City College loses both of its matches and the El Camino beach volleyball team is in the team regional playoffs next Tuesday, April 26.

Undefeated (against community colleges) and top-ranked MiraCosta had no intention of letting the Warriors take a win.

The Spartans jumped out to a quick and easy 2-0 lead, before the Warriors’ No. 3 pair of sophomore Victoria Curtice and freshman Megan Lim lost in straight sets to solidify the loss.

“I think (Megan and I) need to listen to what the coaches say during the game more,” Curtice said. “We get into a habit of a playing a certain way and then not being able to adapt and be flexible to (other teams).”

El Camino would fall to 13-6 after a 4-1 loss to the Spartans.

The Warriors put themselves in a tough position last week after losing to Grossmont and LBCC last Friday, but they were poised to come out on top on Friday, April 21.

While the team did struggle against Costa, it found themselves in a convincing end-of-the-season sweep over San Diego Palomar.

“I think we’re peaking at the right time,” sophomore Taylor Brydon said. “We learned a lot this season and we need to go into (the individual tournament) focusing more on our own partners.”

Brydon and sophomore partner Brooklyn Rubio were the only EC pair to win both of their matches against MiraCosta and Palomar.

The No. 1 pair for EC happens to be in a bit a struggling period of growth.

Sophomore Michelle Shimamoto and freshman Micah Hammond are 13-7 against their opponents this season (12-7 against other team’s No. 1).

“We’re that team that’s too nice to each other, sometimes,” Shimamoto said. “We never used to say anything (when we messed up), but now we’re getting better at it: constructive criticism.”