Rustlers Dominate OEC Home Doubleheader with Wins Over Santa Ana and Saddleback
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The Golden West College beach volleyball team continued its strong Orange Empire Conference start Thursday afternoon, sweeping a home conference doubleheader with a 5-0 victory over Santa Ana College and a 4-1 win against Saddleback College at the GWC Beach Courts.
The Rustlers showcased depth and consistency across all five flights, improving their standing in conference play with two convincing team performances.
Match 1: Golden West 5, Santa Ana 0
Golden West opened the day with a clean sweep of the Dons, winning every matchup in straight sets.
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No. 1 – Maren Matthews / Megan Freck defeated Dayana Avila / Rebecca Oliverman, 21-11, 21-10.
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No. 2 – Jenna Zaffino / Mackenzie Dorney earned a 21-10, 21-3 victory over Alexis Tortola / Lexi Esparza.
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No. 3 – Jalissa Costa / Pearl Miller secured a 21-15, 21-10 win against Katelyn Garcia / LeeAnn Hallock.
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No. 4 – Cassandra Zoellers / Sorelle Buley battled to a 23-21, 21-10 victory over Kaloafu Tuitavuki / Ekizabetl Miranda.
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No. 5 – Emalee Alton / Annalee Smith completed the sweep with a 21-5, 21-9 win against Yuritzi Avikes / Cydelle Sanchez.
Match 2: Golden West 4, Saddleback 1
In the second match of the day, Golden West earned a 4-1 conference victory over the Bobcats.
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No. 1 – Matthews / Freck remained unbeaten on the day with a commanding 21-6, 21-5 win over Meg Gardner / Keelyn Lopez.
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No. 2 – Zaffino / Dorney overcame a tight opening set to defeat Cori Willcoxson / Kayla Ostovar, 19-21, 21-10, 15-13.
- No. 3 – Costa / Miller dropped the only set to Nicole Hylton / Hanna Ray 21-18, 24-22.
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No. 4 – Zoellers / Buley delivered a 21-10, 21-15 victory against Kara Lehmenkuler / Kyra Bouldin.
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No. 5 – Alton / Smith earned a 21-13, 21-6 win over Anabele Lake / Sadie Holmes.
With the two conference victories, Golden West improves to 2-0 in OEC play, and 7-1 overall to start 2026 season.
The Rustlers will look to carry that energy into their next conference matchup as they continue their push through Orange Empire Conference competition.