Irvine Valley's women's beach volleyball team is back in the California Community College State Championships after sweeping aside two opponents in a regional on Tuesday at IVC.
Irvine Valley, the No. 3 seed overall among South region teams, beat Saddleback, 5-0, and then San Diego Mesa, 5-0, to advance.
Mesa defeated Saddleback, 4-1, in the other match.
But the Lasers advanced as the only undefeated team in the regional.
IVC, which won the inaugural state beach volleyball title in 2015, improved its record to 16-7 overall and 14-0 against community college opposition this season.
Irvine Valley hasn't been touched in most matches against its common opponents this year. And Tuesday wasn't any different.
Irvine Valley won eight of the 10 matches in straight sets against Saddleback and Mesa.
Irvine Valley's No. 1 team of sophomore Renata Bath and freshman Lea Kruse lost the first set to Saddleback's Ayla Fresenius and Nickie Hughes, but rallied to win, 22-24, 21-11, 15-10
And IVC's No. 2 squad of freshmen Anna Unke and Gabriela Griego dropped the first set to Mesa's Raven Casas and Alina Snyder, but came back to win, 22-24, 21-11, 15-10.
Irvine Valley's No. 3 team of sophomores Alyssa Vortouni and Emilie Austin, No. 4 team of freshmen Alaina Gendale and Kendall Nolan and No. 5 pair of sophomore Alison Kent and freshman Alaina Thomas each won both matches in straight sets.
Next up for the Lasers is the South Regional pairs event on Friday at IVC starting at 10 a.m.
The pairs tournament qualifies squads for the upcoming CCCAA State Championships next week in Chula Vista.
Irvine Valley has four pairs teams in the regional. Bath and Kruse, Vortouni and Austin, Unke and Griego and Gendale and Nolan will all be trying to make their way to state in the pairs competition Friday.
Bath and Kruse and Vortouni and Austin were all named players of the year in the Orange Empire Conference.
Irvine Valley 5, Saddleback 0
1. Renata Bath/Lea Kruse (IVC) def. Ayla Fresenius/Nickie Hughes (SC), 22-24, 21-11, 15-10
2. Anna Unke/Gabriela Griego (IVC) def. Jill Hewitt/Ireland Ridill (SC), 21-4, 21-9
3. Alyssa Vortouni/Emilie Austin (IVC) def. Hayden Black/Kayla Castillo (SC), 21-4, 21-3
4. Alaina Gendale/Kendall Nolan (IVC) def. Sam Dougher/Serenety Broome (SC), 21-17, 21-12
5. Alison Kent/Alaina Thomas (IVC) won by forfeit
Irvine Valley 5, San Diego Mesa 0
1. Bath/Kruse (IVC) def. Ally Ferguson/Hannah Grimm (SDM), 21-9, 21-18
2. Unke/Griego (IVC) def. Raven Casas/Alina Snyder (SDM), 16-21, 21-16, 15-11
3. Vortouni/Austin (IVC) def. Macey Schonbachler/Taylor Rosario (SDM), 21-13, 21-11
4. Gendale/Nolan (IVC) def. Tori Hutton/Ciera Rens (SDM), 21-10, 21-10
5. Kent/Thomas (IVC) def. Jalesa Poindexter/Maria Bickam (SDM), 21-11, 21-15
