Rustlers Fall Just Short in the SoCal Regionals in Thrilling Matchups

LONG BEACH, CA — The Golden West College beach volleyball program opened postseason play with a statement victory before battling to the very end of its season at the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs, hosted by Long Beach City College on April 28.

The Rustlers began the day with an impressive 3-2 win over No. 11 seed Orange Coast College, showcasing grit and resilience in a tightly contested Orange Empire Conference rematch.

Golden West secured the first victory of the day with wins at the No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 positions. The No. 2 pair of Jenna Zaffino and Mackenzie Dorney earned a hard-fought three-set victory (21-18, 11-21, 15-12), while the No. 4 duo of Cassandra Zoellers and Sorelle Buley delivered a straight-set win (21-13, 21-17). At the No. 5 spot, Emalee Alton and Annalee Smith clinched the match for the Rustlers with a decisive 21-12, 21-13 victory.

The No. 1 pairs battled it out in a rematch of the OEC pairs championships with the duo of Maren Matthews and Meghan Freck falling in three sets (17-21, 21-11, 15-9) and the No. 3 pairs of Jalissa Costa and Pearl Miller we defeated in straight sets 21-15 and 21-12. 

In the second match, the Rustlers faced tournament host and No. 3 seed Long Beach City College in another tightly contested 3-2 dual. Golden West again showed its competitive edge, pushing the Vikings to the limit before narrowly falling.

The Rustlers earned victories at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions. Zoellers and Buley rallied after dropping the first set to win 18-21, 21-10, 15-11, while Alton and Smith remained steady with a straight-set win (21-15, 21-13).

At the top of the lineup, Matthews and Freck battled in a three-set thriller but came up just short (17-21, 21-14, 14-16). The No. 2 pair of Zaffino and Dorney also forced a third set before falling (10-21, 22-20, 14-16), and the No. 3 team of Jalissa Costa and Pearl Miller dropped their match in a hard fought three sets 21-7, 16-21, and 15-6.