Another week and another match at Sierra College. Such as been the recent history for College of Marin Beach Volleyball. The top pair of Sarah Harris and Alejandra Leon competed at the NorCal Pairs Tournament on Friday, May 3rd. They faced the number one seed from West Valley College and followed that with a match against a familiar foe from Delta College. Though they fell in both of their matches it was a tremendous season for the sophomore pair.
Harris and Leon spent plenty of time together over the past two years. They competed together indoors and in the sand. That familiarity certainly benefited them as the ones for the Beach Volleyball Team in the 2019 season. The duo battled their way through the Big 8 Pairs Tournament a week previous and snagged the eighth seed in the conference, and a ticket to the NorCal Pairs Tournament.
Harris and Leon were dealt a difficult path to state qualification as they faced the top team from the Coast Conference powerhouse. They played quite well but were outmatched in the first 21-11. They continued to be aggressive and serve with conviction, but it was not enough as they fell in the second set 21-16.
Their next match in the double elimination tournament was against the top squad from Delta College. Harris and Leon were very familiar Delta's Thompson and Markham having faced them twice earlier in the year. On March 22nd Delta was the victor by a score of 21-11 and 21-9, but at their second meeting the Mariners finished on top. On April 12th at home, Harris and Leon downed their opponents by set scores of 22-20 and 21-16.
At the Pairs Tournament, Delta took the first set by a score of 21-14 and led in the second 14-7. After a side change Harris and Leon dug deep to bring the set close at 19-18. They could not get over the hump, as Delta held on for a 21-18 set victory and match win.
Despite the loss, it was certainly a high note to go out on. The 2019 season was the second in the team's history and Harris and Leon were the first pair from Marin to advance to the NorCal Pairs Tournament.