Two pairs qualify for regionals

The Saddleback beach volleyball team had a sensational week at the Orange Empire Conference Pairs Tournament on Wednesday and Friday.  Two sets of pairs made it through the grueling test to advance to the regional finals next week.

Saddleback had a sensational showing, with two teams winning their first matches on Friday to qualify for the regional tournament.  The only question remaining would be how far they can go in the tournament, and the Bobcats exceeded expectations by having two of the pairs make it all the way to the conference semifinals and finishing third.

Logan Daniels and Abigail Brown opened the round of 16 on Friday morning with a win over a team from Santa Ana College in a match that seemed like it would never end.  The two squads battled back and forth before Saddleback's tandem prevailed in the final set, 18-16.  Daniels and Brown then dusted themselves off real quick and took care of business against a pair from Orange Coast College in straight sets to advance to the conference semifinals.  Ultimately, they would run out of steam in falling to the No. 1 seed from Orange Coast in the semis (9-21, 12-21). 

Sydney Brown and Lilyann Horner won a round of 16 match in the morning over a team from Riverside City College in a grueling three-set match that concluded with a 15-13 win in the final set.  With the win the duo qualified for the Southern California Regional Tournament and a spot in the quarters against a duo from Golden West.  Brown and Horner would then take down the Rustler team in identical fashion, winning a third set by a count of 15-13 to advance to the semifinals.  They would eventually fall in the semifinals against a pair from Irvine Valley.