The wind arrived to say goodbye and blow the regular season away, as the sand volleyball team played its final games against Antelope Valley College and Fullerton College on Friday.
“Everyone’s just on a different level,” Ka’ili Napoleon said. “We just didn’t play as we should and weren’t on the same level as anyone and we were just worried about the other side of the court rather than our side.”
The volleyball team split its doubleheader sweeping Antelope Valley 5-0, and then lost to Fullerton 3-2.
Last time the Warriors played Antelope Valley they swept them as well. The loss comes a week after beating Fullerton College last time out 4-1.
To read the last story on the Warriors’ previous match click here.
The weather was also a factor in the loss later in the day as the winds only kept getting stronger. Laynie Thompson said that they did not really utilize the wind.
“The weather took a toll on us,” Thompson said. “We didn’t play smart today.”
Now with the regular season behind them, the Warriors can look forward to the playoffs. Napoleon said that she expects the team to be a lot stronger in the postseason
“We take usually the [sic] toughest games more seriously,” Napoleon said.
While it may be tough, Thompson also expects the team to enjoy the challenge.
“It’s fun being in the playoffs and it’s a really fun competition,” Thompson said. “I’m hoping that we’ll stay calm and just play our own game.”
Although the regular season of the new sport has ended, there are things that coach LeValley Pattison would still like to see from the team before the commencement of the playoffs.
“They’ve drastically improved from the beginning of the season with limited sand experience,” Pattison said. “I would like to see us be mentally tougher, a little feistier maybe, [and] have a little more fight.”
Pattison also has high expectations knowing how talented the team is.
She said it’s a one shot deal and believes that the individual playoffs are fun for the team. “When you compete against the best you see where you stand and hopefully move to the championship round of that bracket,” coach Pattison said.
Pattison also believes the team has a shot at competing in the final four if they can put it all together.
“We need three wins and Suka and Darlene have been very consistent,” coach Pattison said. “Nickeisha and Brooke have been playing very well. We need solid performances from Laynie and Sadie and a win from our fourth and fifth teams.”
The Warriors end the season with a final regular season record of 10-4. Six of those 10 victories were sweeps, while they conceded only one sweep. They finished with a record of 3-2 in their conference.
EC’s next game is yet to be determined.
