College of Marin Beach Volleyball took on their neighbors from the Peninsula on Friday and ultimately fell 4-1. The Mariners battled in the hot sun and were competitive in each of their six matches against the College of San Mateo Bulldogs. They saved the best for last, as the top pairing of Makenzie Dugan and Salomi Galodamu took down their counterparts from San Mateo in the final matchup of the day.
Dugan and Galodamu trailed after the first set 21-11, but did not give up their fight. They responded with a convincing 21-10 victory to even the match and force a third and final set. It was close to begin, but the Mariners' duo outplayed their opponents to win 15-9 and finish the day on a high note.
The day began with matches comprising the sixes, fours and twos battling it out.
Marissa Morris and Luisa Bertozo Da Silva made their 2020 debuts as the exhibition sixes on the day. They saw immediate success with a victory in the first set 21-11. Fatigue seemed to be a factor as they struggled in the second set, falling 10-21. They had a chance to take the match but a later run by San Mateo finished them off 15-7.
Kailani Kwan-Sy and Francesca Varagnolo paired in the fours spot on Friday and were competitive in both sets but ended up on the wrong side 21-18 and 21-17. Magnolia Johnson and Natasha Saccardi enjoyed a spirited match with the twos from the College of San Mateo. They nearly took the first set, but fell 21-18 before dropping the second and final set 21-8.
The second round of matches saw the ones, threes and fives compete. The fives on the day were Erika Eide and Charlene Abuda who played well in both sets. They dropped the first 21-14 and the second 21-18. Lara Perry and Jade Williams battled the Bulldogs' threes and narrowly lost the first set 22-20. The second set was not as competitive as they fell 21-11.
Overall it was a day of growth and team building. The Mariners did not defeat the Bulldogs, but were competitive throughout.
Marin has a weekend to recover before they travel to Santa Cruz to take on Cabrillo College and the College of San Mateo on Wednesday, February 26th.
