Palomar Secures Gritty 3-2 Win Over Golden West, Falls to Ventura

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA (2/21/2025)  -- The Palomar College women's beach volleyball team put together a hard-fought performance in their latest matches, earning a narrow 3-2 victory over Golden West College before falling to Ventura College 4-1.

Against Golden West, the Comets showed resilience in a back-and-forth battle. The No. 1 pair of Janell Spires and Emma Bambe continued their strong season, securing a 21-18, 21-15 win over M. Matthews and H. Johnson. Palomar also saw a dominant performance from the No. 3 duo of Cadence Young and Kaia Lam, who battled through a tight first set before taking control in the second to win 22-20, 21-13. The No. 5 pair of Mariah Flores and Kiana Merrill powered past T. Webber and S. Carroll with a commanding 21-13, 21-10 win.

The Comets nearly grabbed another point in the No. 4 matchup, where Teiora Tinoisamoa and Bailey Prieto forced a third set but came up just short in a 21-11, 23-25, 16-14 battle. Brisa Necochea and Kylana Madayag fought hard in the No. 2 match but fell to J. Zaffino and C. Zoellers 21-8, 21-16.

In their second match of the day, Palomar took on a tough Ventura College squad and fell 4-1. The Comets' only win came once again from Spires and Bambe, who edged out a thrilling 21-19, 21-23, 16-14 win over S. Daniels and V. Barrios. Despite close sets across multiple pairings, Ventura managed to take the remaining four matches.

Palomar's depth continues to develop, with several pairs contributing throughout the season. Alongside Spires and Bambe, players like Young, Lam, and Prieto have stepped up in key moments, while the duo of Claire Henderson and Sierra Schoenwald gained valuable experience in their No. 5 matchup against Ventura.

With another competitive set of matches in the books, the Comets will look to sharpen their play and build on their early-season success as they prepare for their next set of contests.