Warriors bow to Olympians in women's beach volleyball

El Camino Women’s Beach Volleyball team suffered a 0-5 sweep on Feb. 16 against San Diego Mesa College’s Olympians, extending its losing streak to three games after starting the season with four straight wins.

The ECC Sand Courts saw a total of five matches played in the morning, with two matches played during the first portion and three matches played during the second portion.

The Warriors went neck and neck with the Olympians, with the scores being close for most of the matches. Pairs would often score points right after the opposing pair, resulting in nail-biting matches to see who would come out on top.

“It was really fun. We were both hyped in the beginning, towards the end we kind of let it down but we were still in it. We wanted to keep playing, we pushed hard,” second-season Warrior and administration of justice major Sophia Ortiz said.

Despite the Warriors losing the first two bouts of the five games, the players maintained an overall positive attitude.

The El Camino College Warriors battle against San Diego Mesa Collage in what prove to be a very intense match up. 17. Feb. 2024 (Clarence Davis | The Union) — El Camino College’s Sophia Ortiz dives to save the ball for teammate Erica Griffiths during a match against San Diego Mesa College on Feb. 16. (Clarence Davis | The Union)

“We worked really hard and I’m excited to get more control in my serves,” first-season Warrior and marine biology major Erica Griffiths said.

The Olympians remained strong when the Warriors came close to winning, finding a way to stay ahead of the curve.

“I saw a lot of grit in our team. It wasn’t always easy for them and they were able to keep their composure and be ready for the next ball,” Olympians’ coach Kim Lester said.

Ultimately, the Warriors could not handle the Olympians’ firepower toward the end, getting swept by the five Olympian pairs.

“It was hard, it was definitely different having a team that didn’t block and we had to find a way to adjust,” first-season Olympian and psychology major Myah Gomez said. “You see an open net and you want to bang out but it’s not always the time to do that.”

The matches took place at El Camino’s home sand courts, adjacent to the tennis court and softball field.

Warriors women’s volleyball coach LeValley Pattison said she thinks the team was anxious and excited about the matches, as “San Diego Mesa is always a solid team.”

Pattison and the Warriors felt confident coming into the game, however, considering their strong start in the season.

“We actually have a really good team this year. We play as one, as a family, and it helps us with our ability to push ourselves,” second-season Warrior and kinesiology major Payton Garrison said.

Garrison added the team has been “practicing harder” and “pushing [themselves] more.”

The Olympians have had a dominant start to their season, winning their first four matches with a total 17-3 record for individual games. The Olympians also won the state championships for indoor volleyball last season.

“It’s been a good season, we’ve had a lot of good things happen and I love these girls,” Gomez said. “We’re really big on community and morale and it’s one of the reasons I came here.”

The Warriors now move to a 4-3 record for the season, with the next game being a doubleheader versus Cypress College and Santa Ana College on Feb. 21.

Below are the individual five-game outcomes: