Folsom Lake and American River met for the first time in Big 8 Conference play. Both squads have been performing well on the Northern California stage making for a dynamic match-up. 

The first wave of play included ARC pairs Chloe Lester/Aria Woltz, Aurora Meneghetti/Margaret O'Brien, and Maddy Seabury/Lillie Miranda. Meneghetti/O'Brien scored the first point for the Beavers with a 2 set win in the 4th slot. The pair has been playing solid volleyball and showcasing a calm maturity that is present regardless of the score at a given moment. 

Both Lester/Woltz and Seabury/Miranda dropped 1st sets in their respective matches, only to both come back in the 2nd and force the Falcons into decisive 3rd sets. Lester/Woltz were able to maintain their momentum and find another win for the Beavers at the 6s. Seabury/Miranda stayed together in a tough 3rd set in which FLC ultimately scored the 2nd point of the dual with a win at the 2s. 

The second wave of play kicked off with Kaylee Astacio/Gwendolyn Hansen at the 3s, Gillian Rossi/Anabelle Gomez at the 5s, and Maya Mishchuk/Maddy Rossman at the 1s. With the points split 1-1, the match became a best 2 out of 3. 

Astacio/Hansen's match was another 3-set comeback for the Beavers. The pair had to come back after a tough 1st set and ended up scoring ARC's second dual point with a 2-1 win. Several ARC pairs have found themselves going to 3 time and again this season. The experience shows the resilience and persistence of a group that isn't willing to give up on any slot. 

With the Beavers up 2-1, the 5s and the 1s were still in play. Both slots in the ladder are critical and often decide duals. On Friday, it was Rossi/Gomez who would put ARC over the edge and seal the dual with a win in their slot. Rossi/Gomez have been finding their flow at the 5s and have often come out on top. 

Mishchuk/Rossman continued to gain experience playing at the ever challenging 1s slot. The sophomore/freshman duo continues to show their ability to play with the top pairs in NorCal on any given day. 

Pictured: Maya Mishchuk and Gillian Rossi keep score during ARC and FLC dual at University of the Pacific beach volleyball complex.

Results

1s Lutsiv/Vorster (FLC) def. Rossman/Mishchuk (ARC) 2-0: 21-10, 21-6

2s Lordano/Hammer (FLC) def. Seabury/Miranda (ARC) 2-1: 21-19, 18-21, 15-8

3s Astacio/Hansen (ARC) def. Quintanar/Triplett (FLC) 2-1: 12-21, 21-8, 15-4

4s O'Brien/Meneghetti (ARC) def. Ayers/Pham (FLC) 2-0: 21-13, 21-10

5s Rossi/Gomez (ARC) def. Christy/Myhre (FLC) 2-0: 21-9, 21-13

6s Woltz/Lester (ARC) def. Ujinsri/Collins (FLC) 2-1: 17-21, 21-10, 15-3