Volleyball gears up for league opener; tennis team notches first win
The schedule that Coast Union volleyball plays prior to the Coast Valley League is always a rocky road, since the team goes up against schools with far more students, like Nipomo, Templeton, Faith Baptist and Morro Bay.
Still, coach Pam Kenyon has no concerns about the six preseason losses since she knows the Lady Broncos are blessed with a talented group of student athletes, including newcomer Raely Barbosa, who is “excellent on defense” and has “some tricks up her sleeve that will get us quite a few points each game.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, Coast Union hosted the Dunn School Earwigs, and the Lady Broncos stopped the Earwigs, 25-21, 25-13 and 25-15. It was Coast’s first win of the young season; Ailyn Casas and Karis Lawson each had six kills (Lawson also had a pair of aces).
Senior Gigi Stoothoff is credited with five kills, three aces, and 26 assists. Kenyon told the Cambrian on Monday, Sept. 12, that Stoothoff is “a standout for us … she is a tremendously good player, great leader, a key players,” and an “excellent setter and a very hard hitter.”
Coast Union hosts the annual Pink Stampede Tournament this weekend, Sept. 16 and 17.
Tennis
The Coast Union tennis team celebrated its first victory this young season Friday, Sept. 9, in a home match against the Santa Maria Saints. The match ended up tied, 9-9, but the tiebreaker — adding up all the individual games within the sets — gave the win to the Lady Broncos, 77-68.
Top seed Michelle Campos won two of her three sets (6-1, 6-1) and Jasmine Kelleher lost her set in a tiebreaker, 7-6, but coach Tom Coxwell said she “really hung in there and made it go to the end.” In fact, the team honored Kelleher by “forming a tunnel for her as she left the court,” Coxwell reported.
In doubles play, Ani Corbet and Alyssa Drew swept their sets, 7-5, 6-2 and 6-1, while Savannah Lyons and Rebecca Odza won their sets, 6-2, 6-3 and 6-0. Olivia Hargear and Nirvana Tesfayohannes picked up a victory in one of their sets, 6-0.
Coxwell said he is “very proud” of the team. “They needed a win really bad, emotionally.”
The tennis team traveled to Paso Robles on Wednesday, after The Cambrian’s press deadline. The next home match for the tennis team is Wednesday, Sept. 21, against Templeton at 3:30 p.m.
This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Volleyball gears up for league opener; tennis team notches first win."