The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

El Camino beach volleyball team makes it look easy against visiting Orange Coast College

Line them up.

Knock them down.

Seems to be a simple formula for the El Camino beach volleyball team.

The Warriors came out for its second and final Wednesday match this season against the visiting Orange Coast College Pirates on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, the five pairs from EC were raring to go and dominated the competition 5-0 in match score.

The Warriors didn’t lose a single set on its way to improving to 6-0 on the season, while the Pirates were shown the difference between an undefeated team and their lackluster 1-4 start.

“I think (Micah and I are) in a really good place right now with the way that we’re playing,” EC sophomore Michelle Shimamoto said.

Shimamoto and Micah Hammond, her freshman partner, have lost just one set in six matches this season and the two represent the No. 1 pair for the Warriors.

Shimamoto was part of last year’s No. 2 team with Nickeisha Williams, which eventually finished ranked No. 1 heading into the state tournament.

“(Micah’s) learning a lot, which is great,” Shimamoto added. “It helps me out a lot and we play well together, and we don’t get frustrated easily.”

Frustration doesn’t seem to be a factor in any of the pairs’ repertoire as the team continues to excel, all while still trying to figure out who will hold down the fifth pair spot on the team.

Sophomores Nina Wyer, Cassie Montani, Jolene St. Pierre and freshmen Melissa Euyoque and Glorious Owens are currently in a battle to represent EC in the official matches.

Montani and Wyer began the season together and in recent matches Montani has been paired with St. Pierre, while Wyer has been paired with Euyoque.

Owens tends to make appearances depending on whether or not the opposing team has a sixth spot.

“We have a lot of (women) who want to play,” Wyer said. “It shows (at practice).”

Fighting for her spot is something Wyer is used to.

During her freshman and sophomore years on the indoor volleyball team (2015 and 2016) she had to fight for her position as the team’s starting setter.

“Competition is a good thing,” Wyer added.

Sophomore Taylor Brydon said that competition is great, but so far this season there hasn’t been any to speak of.

“We haven’t faced any super challenging teams,” she said, despite the team just squeaking out a 3-2 win over Golden West College earlier this season. “They were OK, they weren’t anything spectacular.”

Here are the match scores against Orange Coast College, El Camino wins 5-0:

  • No. 1 pair of Michelle Shimamoto and Micah Hammond continue to sweep opponents after a 21-11 and 21-17 win against their Orange Coast counterparts.
  • No. 2 pair of Taylor Brydon and Brooklyn Rubio make it look easy in a 21-8 and 21-12 win.
  • No. 3 pair of Megan Lim and Victoria Curtice control the pace in a 21-11 first set and then the biggest difference today in a 21-5 win in the second.
  • While the No. 4 pair of Aiko Waters and Kiana Takahashi coast through their Pirate counterparts in back-to-back 21-7 wins.
  • In her season debut, Melissa Euyoque teams up with Nina Wyer to complete the sweep after a 21-11 and 21-14 win.

The Warriors will on the road against the 2016 defending state champions Grossmont College next Friday.

“They will be (the test) for our team,” Brydon said. “It’s going to be where we find out if we’re actually playing at the level we want to be at.”

More to Discover