This is 5'8 Freshman #10 Jaden Whitmarsh for UCLA
Dear Readers~
If you read my last blog where I explained how NCAA beach volleyball works then you'll know that the NCAA beach volleyball season has started and the first team that I'll be covering will be #6 Cal Poly @ #1 UCLA. On February 21, 2019 at 8 am Pacific Time Cal Poly traveled to the Sunset Canyon Recreation center there in Los Angeles to take on UCLA in the first game of the 2019 season.
Before I get into the game, I want to introduce UCLA's newest coach. Being the new volunteer assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins is the AVP's very own Irene Pollock. This is a little odd because Pollock's husband, JD, is the director of player development for San Diego State's basketball team down in San Diego, California. If you'd like to read more about Pollock's transfer to UCLA, I'll leave a link to her article down below: https://uclabruins.com/news/2019/2/19/bruins-add-pollock-to-beach-volleyball-staff.aspx Don't forget to follow her on Instagram: @irenepollock
Cal Poly has a few coaches that some of the readers may know. First off is their head coach. He's Mr. Todd Rogers, the man that won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in beach volleyball with Phil Dalhausser. The pair no longer play together because Todd retired and no longer plays competitively. Cal Poly's assistant coach is someone that some of my readers may have heard of if they read my P1440 Young Guns blog about the Huntington Beach Open. I'm talking about the one and only Miss Allie Wheeler. Don't forget to follow them on Instagram: @toddjrogers and @alwheels12
Now allow me to explain how scoring on the beach works in the NCAA. Unlike indoor where you win 3 sets, the beach has to win 3 of 5 games. Each team is composed of 5 main teams. In order to win your school must win at least 3 games. Just like in the AVP, the first and second sets go to 21 while the third set, if needed, goes to 15 and yes they do use the rule where you must have a 2 point or higher lead to win. Most of the time the games start with the fourth and fifth teams up in what's called the "First Flight" then after both of those games are over, the first, second, and third teams are up in what's called the "Second Flight". This part differs depending on how many courts the school hosting the event has. Now let me introduce the first game of the Cal Poly @ UCLA beach volleyball game.
The first game to finish was the 4's which paired Mac May and Savvy Simo, for UCLA, against Elenore Johanssen and Jayelin Lombard, for Cal Poly. That game lasted 2 sets. The first set ended 21-14 in favor of UCLA while the second set ended 21-9, also in favor of UCLA. If the name "Mac May" sounds familiar it's because she also plays indoor for UCLA in the fall.
The second game to finish was the 3's which paired Abby Van Winkle and Zana Muno, for UCLA, against Macy Gordon and Vanessa Roscoe, for Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-17 in favor of Cal Poly while UCLA got their revenge by winning the second set 21-17 and causing a third set. That third set ended 15-10, in favor of UCLA.
The third game to finish was the 5's with Izzy Carey and Megan Muret, for UCLA, against Brayden Gruenewald and Heather Pembroke, for Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-16, in favor of UCLA. The second set was similar by ending at 21-15, with UCLA winning that set as well.
The fourth game to finish was the 1's with Megan and Nicole McNamara, for UCLA, against Emily Sonny and Torrey Van Winden, for Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-16, in favor of UCLA while the second set was closer, ending at 24-22, in favor of UCLA.
The fifth and final game of the day to finish was the 2's with Lily Justine and Sarah Sponcil, for UCLA, against Tiadora Miric and Crissy Jones, of Cal Poly. The first set ended 21-17, in favor of Cal Poly, while UCLA took the second set 21-9 and causing a third set. The third set ended 15-13 in favor of UCLA. At the end of that game, UCLA won all 5 matches for their home opener.
That concludes the game. I hope you liked it and are ready for the rest of the NCAA 2019 beach season. Don't forget that the first AVP event is just around the corner so mark your calendars for that happening from May 3-5, 2019 in Huntington Beach, California but if you can't make it to the west coast that weekend, the NCAA Beach volleyball national finals are that same weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama if you live on the east coast. Until next time, Miller out
~J. Miller
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