Irvine Valley's women's beach volleyball team started its season last Friday in a tri-match at four-year and NCAA Division 1 Cal State Bakersfield.
The Lasers, who won the Orange Empire Conference a year ago, fell to Bakersfield, but came through with a win against fellow community college squad Gavilan.
IVC lost to Bakersfield, 5-0, but there were some close matches and tight sets.
Irvine Valley's top team of sophomore Renata Bath and freshman Lea Kruse fell in three sets to Cal State Bakersfield's duo of Briannah Mariner and Mattison DeGarmo, 16-21, 22-20, 15-9.
IVC's No. 3 team of sophomores Emilie Austin and Alyssa Vortouni played tough, but also lost in three sets, falling to Sidney Wicks and Hana Makanova, 19-21, 21-15, 15-13.
The No. 2 Irvine Valley team of freshmen Anna Unke and Gabriela Griego and the No. 5 team of sophomore Alison Kent and freshman Truth Hafey also had close sets.
Irvine Valley turned around and beat Gavilan, 5-0. The Lasers won each match in straight sets, getting wins from the teams of Kruse and Bath, Griego and Unke, Austin and Vortouni, freshmen Kendall Nolan and Alaina Gendale and Kent and freshman AlainaThomas.
Bath and Kruse won their No. 1 match, 21-8, 21-10.
Irvine Valley plays again this Friday, hosting its first matches of the year. The Lasers play Orange Coast at 12 p.m. and then Cerritos at 2 p.m.
Cal State Bakersfield 5, Irvine Valley 0
1. DeGarmo/Mariner (CSUB) def. Bath/Kruse (IVC), 16-21, 22-20, 15-9
2. Solberg/Vukobrat (CSUB) def. Unke/Griego (IVC), 21-19, 21-6
3. Wicks/Makanova (CSUB) def. Austin/Vortouni (IVC), 19-21, 21-15, 15-13
4. Barber/Bonafacio (CSUB) def. Nolan/Gendale (IVC), 21-16, 21-8
5. Boiseau/Hernandez (CSUB) def. Kent/Hafey (IVC), 21-8, 21-20
Irvine Valley 5, Gavilan 0
1. Kruse/Bath (IVC) def. Welby/Dizon (GC), 21-8, 21-10
2. Griego/Unke (IVC) def. Banda/Stopper (GC), 21-14, 21-15
3. Austin/Vortouni (IVC) def. Viray/Tukuaoga (GC), 21-19, 21-16
4. Nolan/Gendale (IVC) def. Zanotto/Clonts (GC), 21-4, 21-18
5. Kent/Thomas (IVC) def. Harada/Orahood (GC), 21-11, 21-6
