SAN DIEGO – San Marcos had experienced its share of heartbreaking setbacks during the regular season and decided to eliminate any drama during the CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 beach volleyball playoffs.
The top-seeded Knights had already split a pair of April showdowns against No. 2 Carlsbad, both matchups being decided by the narrowest of margins.
But San Marcos elevated its performance in significant fashion in May, highlighted by a 5-0 victory Saturday against Carlsbad to capture the program’s first section championship at San Diego Mesa College.
Following a first-round bye, the Knights (18-3) produced 5-0 playoff wins against San Dieguito Academy, La Costa Canyon and Carlsbad (16-6), which was looking to secure a Division 1 crown this spring after winning the Division 2 title last year.
San Marcos won its first CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 beach volleyball title | Erik Boal photo
San Marcos edged Carlsbad by a 3-2 margin April 16, with the Lancers returning the favor by earning a 3-2 win April 25 in the regular-season finale.
Carlsbad’s lineup wasn’t at full strength Saturday as a result of indoor club volleyball conflicts, and as a result, the Lancers were unable to slow down the momentum of San Marcos, which opened with a 21-11, 21-16 victory at the No. 5 pairing by sophomore Ellie Woolwine and senior Ayla Johanski against Belen Chavez and Katie Nipper.
Kylie Osborne, a senior, and sophomore Madeleine Waldron built significant advantages early in both sets in the No. 2 matchup against Reese Braidic and Elyia Dixon and achieved a 21-15, 21-14 win to give the Knights a 2-0 advantage following the first rotation.
The senior tandem of Mar Mihal and Alexis Schwartz clinched the title for San Marcos with a 21-16, 21-13 triumph at the No. 1 pairing against Katie Drury and Ruby Partain.
San Marcos prevailed in its third and final showdown against Carlsbad in the CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 beach volleyball final | Erik Boal photo
Lauren Feiler and Sage Nielson, also both seniors for the Knights, earned the fourth point following a 21-16, 21-16 victory in the No. 4 showdown against Riley Ploski and Marseille Varela.
The only uncertainty for San Marcos came in the final matchup of the contest, but the junior pair of Ashley Mueller and Rylie Vredevelt rallied for a 17-21, 21-18. 15-11 win in the No. 3 clash against Chloe Hancock and Liliana Hyland.
It was only the second set relinquished by the Knights in 15 head-to-head postseason matchups, including one in the semifinal victory Thursday against La Costa Canyon.
San Marcos won all three CIF-San Diego Section Division 1 beach volleyball playoff matches by 5-0 margins | Erik Boal photo
San Marcos, which didn’t qualify for the beach volleyball playoffs for the first time until last season, regrouped following a first-round loss last year against eventual Division 1 champion Scripps Ranch to win a section championship.
In addition to the 3-2 setback in the regular-season finale against Carlsbad, the Knights’ other two losses came by 4-1 and 3-2 margins against Open Division runner-up Torrey Pines.
The 5-0 setback for Carlsbad marked only the second time this season the Lancers were unable to earn a point, including a March 8 loss against Scripps Ranch, the No. 2 seed in the Open Division.