West Valley wins thriller in beach volleyball showdown against Feather River
SARATOGA - It was fitting that Wednesday's match-two battle between two of NorCal's traditional beach powers came down to a third and deciding set in the 1's pairs. West Valley's Taylor Tullo and Katie Kishton and Feather River's Madi Gray and Taylor O'Reilly staged a back-and-forth epic before Tullo/Kishton emerged with a 15-13 win that clinched the match for the Vikings 3-2. The Vikings took the opening match on Wednesday, 4-1.
The day's second match was full of drama with a trio of three-set marathons that set the stage for the 1's decider in the late afternoon. WVC 2's Elia Dueñas and Alina Valenti won what may have been, besides the 1's, the day's biggest Viking victory. Dueñas/Valenti dropped set one 22-20 to FRC's Mattea Wilson and Madi Trueblood and then fought their way to 21-14 and 15-11 wins in sets two and three to tie the match up at 1-1 after the first wave. West Valley's Della Trimble and Camdyn Albrecht took care of Maddie Steele and Sydney Gott 21-14, 21-16 in the 3's to knot the match at 2-2 and set the stage for Tullo/Kishton vs. Gray/O'Reilly.
FRC's Morgan Avrit and Ellie Newsum escaped with a 21-17, 21-23, 15-11 nailbiter over Sydney Rogers and Ailish O'Deegan in the 4's, while the 5's saw Alex Bergantz/Keilli Voss fall to FRC's Jessica Hickel/Hanna Parisio 23-21, 21-10.
In Wednesday's early match, WVC's Tullo/Kishton (1's), Dueñas/Valenti (2's), Trimble/Albrecht (3's) all captured straight-set wins, while Bergantz/Voss took the 5's 2-1.
Wednesday's match scores:
Match One (West Valley 4, Feather River 1)
1's: Taylor Tullo/Katie Kishton (WVC) defeat Madi Gray/Taylor O'Reilly (FRC) 21-6, 21-19
2's: Elia Dueñas/Alina Valenti (WVC) defeat Mattea Wilson/Madi Trueblood (FRC) 21-15, 21-12
3's: Della Trimble/Camdyn Albrecht (WVC) defeat Maddie Steele/Sydney Gott (FRC) 21-19, 21-12
4's: Morgan Avrit/Ellie Newsum (FRC) defeat Sydney Rogers/Ailish O'Deegan (WVC) 21-15, 21-17
5's: Alex Bergantz/Keilli Voss (WVC) defeat Jessica Hickel/Hanna Parisio (FRC) 16-21, 21-18, 15-13
6's (EXHIB): Hannah Moore/Renee Martin (WVC) defeat Hannah Taylor/Michelle Rodriguez (FRC) 17-21, 24-22, 15-5
7's (EXHIB): Belen Morgan/Kate Blackwell (WVC) defeat Courtney Oilar/Aliyah Stevenson (FRC) 18-21, 22-20, 15-10
Match Two (West Valley 3, Feather River 2)
1's: Taylor Tullo/Katie Kishton (WVC) defeat Madi Gray/Taylor O'Reilly (FRC) 24-26, 21-17, 15-13
2's: Elia Dueñas/Alina Valenti (WVC) defeat Mattea Wilson/Madi Trueblood (FRC) 20-22, 21-14, 15-11
3's: Della Trimble/Camdyn Albrecht (WVC) defeat Maddie Steele/Sydney Gott (FRC) 21-14, 21-16
4's: Morgan Avrit/Ellie Newsum (FRC) defeat Sydney Rogers/Ailish O'Deegan (WVC) 21-17, 21-23, 15-11
5's: Jessica Hickel/Hanna Parisio (FRC) defeat Alex Bergantz/Keilli Voss (WVC) 23-21, 21-10
6's (EXHIBIT): Aliyah Stevenson/Michelle Ramirez (FRC) defeat Belen Morgan/Kate Blackwell (WVC) 21-9, 21-9
7's (EXHIBIT): Courtney Oilar/Hannah Taylor (FRC) defeat Kelly Mahoney/Hannah Moore (WVC) 21-13, 21-14