IRVINE -- Cal State LA's beach volleyball team hit the sand for its first competition Wednesday and competed hard against fellow NCAA Division II program Concordia of Irvine.
The Golden Eagles fell to Concordia, 5-0, at Irvine Valley College, but came away feeling encouraged about their prospects later in the season as they become more accustomed to beach play. Five two-player teams from Cal State LA competed on Wednesday.
Cal State LA's No. 1 team of
Iona Lofrano and
Lauren Gomez fell in three sets to Concordia's No. 1 team of Kyra Auten and Tristan Self, 21-13, 10-21, 15-5..
Alma Serna and
Kelsey Molnar, playing at No. 3, also fell in a tight three-set match to Cindy Tran and Maddy Deters, 19-21, 21-19, 15-10. The No. 2 team of
JamieAnn Bero and
Cynthia Giron fell in straight sets to Asia O'Neil and Kaila Ames, 21-9, 21-9, the No. 4 team of
Taylor Kushner and
Yamani Wallace fell to Amber Rose and Logan Grove, 21-13, 21-10 and the No. 5 team of Sifa Fau and
Caitlyn Bato fell to Katie Napier and Maile Lane, 21-14, 22-20.
"It was a great day; the atmosphere there was great and I thought our girls played really well," Cal State LA head coach Randi Smart said. "There's still a lot of learning ahead of us because this is new for most of them, but it really was a fun and enjoyable day."
Cal State LA will return to competition on Feb. 17 with matches against Concordia and Golden West College at Golden West College.
