Gauchos beach volleyball lose to Fullerton and Santa Ana 5-0

Freshman Chasticy Gonzalez dives for the ball served from Santa Ana playing with teammate Morgan Hocker. (Matthew Kirkland/ Lariat)

Saddleback College’s women’s beach volleyball team played the Fullerton College Hornets and Santa Ana Dons on Friday losing both games with a final score of 5-0. Saddleback hosted the matches at Irvine Valley College and ended their five game losing streak with an additional two losses.

“I thought the girls played really tough,” Coach Brian Hughes said. “They played really hard, they’re phenomenal kids and they give us everything we ask for from them which is just a 100 percent attitude and 100 percent effort constantly.”

Fullerton was the first match up for Saddleback of the morning starting out with the Hornets in the lead, keeping it strong for the remainder of the matches. Team one was matched up against Charity Dennis and Sydney Maldonado with they’re first set 21-5 and second 21-10.

“I think what got us was our serve receive but we’re getting better at playing together,” freshman Morgan Hocker said. “I feel like we did good and from the beginning of the season till now we have definitely improved.”

Other match ups included Saddleback’s Trisha Myers and Camilla Howe against Fullerton’s Mariah Gonzalez and Shawnee Longmeyer who stared with 21-13 in set one ending 2-0.

Freshman players Morgan Hocker and Chasticy Gonzalez who kept fighting the loosing score trying to push it back up failed in the end agreeing with each other that the team overall has a lot to improve on.

“I believe we can improve overall,” Gonzalez said. “Especially on our defense and offense not so much but we just have to communicate. What just have to improve, that’s it.”

The last match up was against Fullerton was Keanalyn Wolford and Julia Sofia against Mallori Koci and Alex Winfield starting with 21-10 in their first set ending with 2-0.

The Gauchos also played the Santa Ana dons who went to team regionals last season and lost putting up a strong fight. This is the girls first season together playing with one another and they are now learning they’re strengths and weaknesses.

“I appreciate everything the girls gave me this year,” Hughes said. “The attitude and effort from them was just, I couldn’t ask for anything more you know?”

This is the first season of Saddleback’s women’s beach volleyball and the team will now be moving into indoor practice. Coach Hughes comes to Saddleback in 2015 has coached teams of varying levels such as Mission Viejo VBC, SCVC Los Cab, South Coast VBC and Performance Volleyball Academy.

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