The Irvine Valley women's beach volleyball team dropped early-season matches in the 2022 season.
But the squad gathered, put things together and then battled to win the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship in May at IVC.
Irvine Valley, under new head coach Ryan Windisch (also the women's indoor head coach) will look to follow that path.
The Lasers were right with two of the other top teams in Southern California, Orange Coast and Ventura, at home last Friday in a showdown.
IVC came away with two 3-2 losses, but Windish said the team showed a lot of promise and fight.
Almost every single set was close on every court.
Irvine Valley won matches at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots.
Freshman Tessa Marocco and Emily Hon won, 21-11, 17-21, 15-11.
And IVC's fifth pair of sophomores Kendall Fraser and Alessandra Nitoglia swept, 21-13, 21-9.
Irvine Valley's No. 3 pair of freshman Mia Bertolone and Kayla Torres dropped a tough match to OCC's Cutwright and Selivanov, 21-13, 22-20, 15-10, to decide the match.
Against Ventura, Irvine Valley won matches at No. 1 with sophomore Barett Nolan and freshman Sydney Dews, 21-14, 21-14, and on the No. 5 court with Fraser and Nitoglia, 17-21, 21-10, 15-8.
Irvine Valley dropped three-set matches, on the second, third and fourth courts, including losing both, 15-13.
The Lasers are back in action next Wednesday, hosting three teams.
IVC plays MiraCosta at 9 a.m., Mt. San Jacinto at noon and Santa Barbara City at 1 p.m.
