Gauchos earn split in the sand

The Saddleback beach volleyball team split two matches, defeating Fullerton College before falling to Irvine Valley College on Friday in Irvine.  The Gauchos sit in the middle of the pack in the Orange Empire Conference with three matches remaining.

Saddleback opened the day with a 4-1 victory over Fullerton.  The Gauchos started the day up 1-0 due to a lack of players for the Hornets, and needed to win just two matches to gain a team victory.  They did one better, winning on courts two, three and four.

Every match went to a third set, with Saddleback winning 3-of-4.  The Gauchos scored a win on court two when Samantha Senske and Kiana Camargo rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win 21-13 and 15-13 in the final two games.  Jillian Hewitt and Ireland Ridill also battled to the end on court three, winning 16-14 in the final set.  Samantha Dougher and Serenity Broome dominated their third set when they won 15-7 on court four.

Later in the day, Saddleback fell to one of the top-ranked teams in the state, Irvine Valley, 5-0. 

Saddleback is now 6-6 overall and 3-4 in Orange Empire Conference play with three matches remaining.  The Gauchos will play again at Cypress College (10-7, 5-2) next Friday at 9:00 AM. 

SADDLEBACK 4, FULLERTON 1

1's FC 2-1
Amanda Henderson & Lauren Schaefer (FC) def. Nickie Hughes & Tatiana Kringel 21-19, 16-21, 15-11

2's SC 2-1
Samantha Senske & Kiana Camargo (SC) def. Kailyn Case & Samantha Linares (FC) 11-21, 21-13, 15-13

3's SC 2-1
Jillian Hewitt & Ireland Ridill (SC) def. Andrea Lopez & Carlie Ortega (FC) 21-16, 19-21, 16-14

4's SC 2-1
Samantha Dougher & Serenity Broome (SC) def. Rebecca Hicks & Sydney Noseworthy (FC) 21-14, 18-21, 15-7

5's SC 2-0 (by forfeit)