Ihrig/Sienna go 3-0 in state pool play; advance to Sweet 16
WALNUT -- Orange Coast College beach volleyball's dynamic duo of Sophie Vienna and Kayla Ihrig go through Friday's pool play a perfect 3-0 as they advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 3C2A Beach Volleyball Pairs Championships, hosted by Mt. San Antonio College.
With their three wins, Ihrig/Vienna remain the top seeds heading into the single-elimination portion of the championship event. Their first match of the day will take place on Saturday at Mt. SAC, beginning at 10 a.m.
Following a straight-set win in their opening match of the morning (21-15, 21-11), Ihrig/Vienna took on Monterey Peninsula's Hannah Child and Vera Hojnaki. After a slow start, OCC turned a 5-2 deficit into a 21-13 win, behind the strong, aggressive serving and hitting of Ihrig and the strong, all-around play of Vienna. In the second set, Coast again trailed early, but this time, Child/Hojnaki held onto the lead after an OCC timeout, Ihrig/Vienna trailed 18-15.
After a wide MPC serve made it 18-16, Coast went to work.
- Ihrig served an ace to make it 18-17
- A MPC net violation tied the set at 18-18
- A wide return by the Lobos put OCC in front, 19-18
- Another Ihrig ace put the Pirates up, 20-18
- Coast iced the match when Vienna set up Ihrig for the final kill of the match, 21-18.
OCC's top pair continued their impressive play in the third and final match of morning pool play against Feather River's Avary Arment/Shelby Nuzzle.
After cruising to a 21-9 opening-set win, Ihrig and Vienna jumped out early in the second set, grabbing an 18-12 advantage. But the Feather River duo took advantage of a few unforced errors by the Pirates and evened the match at 18.
After Ihrig reached over and tipped ball near the net over to the side of the Roadrunners for a 19-18 lead. Coast earned the final two points to seal the victory.
Ihrig/Vienna will take on Palomar College's Emma Bambe/Reese Maffit in the Sweet 16 for the 10 a.m. match. The winner of that match will advance to the quarterfinals, which begin at 12:30 p.m., followed by the semifinals at 2 p.m. and the state championship finals at 3:30 p.m.
