San Marcos, Santa Barbara Beach Volleyball Duos Fall on Day 2 of CIF-SS Individual Tournament | Sports

San Marcos and Santa Barbara High’s top duos had their seasons come to a close on Day 2 of the CIF-SS Individual Pairs Tournament on Wednesday in Huntington Beach.

Josie Gamberdella and Cora Loomer of the Royals reached the quarterfinals while Keenan Engebretson and Lola Heckman of the Dons fell in the Round of 16.

San Marcos

Gamberdella and Loomer, the No. 7 seed, opened the day with a 21-17 opening-set loss in the Round of 16, but they bounced back with two straight wins, 21-12, 18-16, to keep their season alive.

In the third and final set, they found themselves down 6-1 before regrouping and pulling out the tight victory on a transition dig and booming kill.

“The defense and transition kills of both Loomer and Gamberdella during the final part of the third match were critical to their come-from-behind win,” San Marcos head coach Tim Loomer said.

In the quarterfinals, Gamberdella and Loomer fell in two sets to Redondo Union’s Avery and Addison Junk, the No. 2 seed, 21-13, 21-10.

With the finish, Gamberdella and Loomer ended with a fifth-place overall finish in the CIF Southern Section.

“The pair displayed strong skills and aggressive play throughout the two-day tournament, representing their town, school and league well,” Tim Loomer said. “Over the course of the season, both girls made good progress on key aspects of their games and it was fun to watch them play at a high level during both the CIF team and pairs tournaments.

“It was an honor to coach Josie during her final high school volleyball match. She has been a foundational part of both the beach and indoor volleyball programs at San Marcos these past four years. While her skill as a player is exceptional, her work ethic, determination, and quiet leadership are qualities that not only benefited the program but provided an example for her teammates.”

Santa Barbara High

Heckman and Engebretson dropped their Round of 16 matchup to the Junk sisters in two sets, 21-11, 21-10.

“The girls battled hard against a very good, consistent team,” Dons head coach Kristin Hempy said. “I’m proud of how Lola and Keenan stayed aggressive and went after their shots. Overall, a great tournament for these two and for SBHS.”

The Junk duo from Redondo Union went on to win the CIF-SS Individual Pairs Championship.