A nail biter of a match went against the Mariners on Friday. The Beach Squad took their talents to Rocklin for a Coast Conference Crossover. After an early defeat at the hands of Fresno, the Mariners battled with the Gavilan College Rams. After taking the early matches, the Mariners' lead dwindled and ultimately slipped away, leading to a 3-2 defeat.
The match opened up positively enough for the Mariners as the fives grabbed a victory in their match. Luiza Bertozo Da Silva and Marissa Morris dispatched their counterparts from Gavilan in straight sets. They took the first 21-17 before finishing them off with an impressive 21-13 second set win.
Kailani Kwan-Sy and Francesca Varagnolo dealt with their opponents quickly. They swept the Gavilan fours 21-10 and 21-12 to give Marin a 2-0 lead in the match.
The tide turned as Marin's top squad of Salomi Galodamu and Mackenzie Dugan could not keep pace with the Rams' top seeds. The Mariners' pair went down 21-14 and 21-11.
Lara Perry and Jade Williams battled but fell in the first set 21-14 to the Gavilan threes. The second set went the distance but Marin ended up on the wrong side of a 21-19 second set score.
Tied at 2-2 the twos pair proved to be the decider. Magnolia Johnson and Natasha Saccardi fell in the first set 21-14. They had a shot to even the match in the second set, but were ultimately defeated 21-18.
It was Marin's seventh loss of the season, but overall it was a solid day in the sand. Marin fell in both of their matches but served notice to the Coast Conference that they would not go quietly.
Next up for the Mariners is a road trip to Santa Barbara on March 18th where they will take on the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros.