Persistence and communication played key roles in helping El Camino College beach volleyball players Arden Templeton and Yasmine Itani secure a win at Court 5, but not enough to wholly defeat College of the Desert.

Despite bringing the energy to the El Camino College Sand Courts, the Warriors fell 4-1 to the Roadrunners Friday, March 27.

In addition, the Warriors also lost 5-0 to Long Beach City College Vikings in another match on the same day.

The two double competitive matches were apart of the South Coast Conference, a sports league for community colleges in Southern California.

ECC’s overall win-lose ratio for the season is now 5-13.

Templeton and Itani rallied after losing the first set to win 14-21, 21-14 and 15-12, giving ECC its only point of the match. The pair adjusted their defense and stayed aggressive at the net, turning longer rallies into momentum as the match went on.

“When we were down, the biggest challenge was to keep encouraging each other and keep working hard so we could bring ourselves back,” Templeton said.

College of the Desert secured the team win with straight-set victories on the other four courts, using consistent serves and limiting errors to control the tempo.

Despite the loss, the Warriors showed more cohesion than in previous matches. The bench remained active, with teammates calling out plays between points and celebrating after key sideouts, reflecting a group that was starting to find its rhythm.

“I think what we improved the most was our encouragement. That really made the difference,” Templeton said.

UP NEXT

The Warriors beach volleyball will play against Rio Hondo in a home game Friday, April 3, at 10 a.m.

*Eleni Klostrakis contributed to this story.

Gallery • 4 Photos

El Camino Warriors’ No. 4 Laila Albaresh lunges to bump the ball over the net as No. 15 Arabella Ober gets in position during a match against the College of the Desert Roadrunners on Friday, March 27, at the ECC Sand Courts. (Kaitlyn Estrada | The Union)