Three pairs team from the VC beach volleyball team advanced Friday on the first of two days of the Western State Conference Championships at the Ventura Harbor Cove Courts. The Pirates' No. 1 duo of Kayla Murdoch and Autumn Rojelio Moreno and the No. 2 pair of Olivia Sletten and Ashley Johnson each moved toward a semifinal showdown while the No. 3 team of Averi Carter and Katey Mulville won their first match before being knocked to the consolation bracket with a setback in their second.
After a first round bye, Sletten and Johnson, the No. 4-seed in the draw, defeated a team from Moorpark, 21-5, 21-8. No. 5-seeded Mulville and Carter also got a pass in the opening round before posting a 21-15, 21-12 win over another pair from Moorpark.
The two wins matched the Pirates' pairs against each other in the quarterfinal round with Sletten and Johnson coming out on top, 21-15, 21-11.
The top-seeded Murdoch and Rojelio did not play in the opening round before besting a team from Santa Monica, 21-8, 21-8, In the quarterfinals, the Pirates top team posted a 21-9, 21-10 triumph over the No. 9-seeded pair from Bakersfield.
On the other side of the bracket, Grace Williams and Alba Romanos Gracia defeated a pair from Santa Barbara, 21-19, 21-16, before falling to the tournament's No. 2 seed, also from SBCC, 21-15, 22-20.
Kylie Ibbotson and Bryce Swain won their opener against a team from Santa Monica, 22-20, 21-17 before falling 21-15, 21-17 to the No. 3 seeded pair from Moorpark.
Ana Medrano and Gabby Raines fell in their opening contest against the No. 6-seed from Santa Barbara, 21-11, 21-8.
On Saturday, Murdoch and Rojelio will battle Sletten and Johnson in a semifinal match-up at 10:00 am. Both teams have already qualified for the Southern California Regionals to be held May 5 and 6. Carter and Mulville will play in the 5th Place Semifinal, also at 10:00 am Saturday, where a win will also put them into the SoCal Regionals. The 3rd and 5th Place matches will be held at 11:00 am while the WSC Championship match is slated to begin at 12:00 pm at the Ventura Harbor Cove Courts.