COD Beach Volleyball sends “One’s” team to State Finals

BRACKET for the CCCAA State Finals

COD "One's" team of Ashtyn Lyneis and Nicole Svoboda will travel to the CCCAA State Finals after fighting their way through the Consolation side of the SoCal Regionals bracket.

The Roadrunners "One's" team were the only representatives for Desert at the SoCal Regionals and entered the event as the #25 seeded team. Lyneis and Svoboda opened up the Regionals, which took place at Irvine Valley College, with a hard fought match against the #8 seed in SoCal, the "Two's" team from the Bakersfield Renegades, falling in the opening round 22-20 and 21-16.

All was not lost in this double elimination tournament, as the team ended up in the consolation bracket facing the #24 seed in SoCal, the "One's" team from the Cypress Chargers, winning 21-17 and 21-16. Suddenly, the Roadrunners found themselves one victory away from getting to the State Finals, all that stood in their way was the #16 seed in SoCal, the "One's" team from the Rio Hondo Roadrunners.

This "Roadrunners vs. Roadrunners" match-up had happened earlier in the season, on March 23rd where Rio Hondo swept the team of Lyneis and Svoboda, 21-17 and 21-17, but none of that mattered with a trip to the State Finals on the line. Desert would drop the first set, 21-19 and then demolish Rio Hondo in the second set, 21-12, leading up to a third and deciding set on the sand of Irvine Valley. In a third set that bounced back-and-forth, Desert prevailed in the sand, 15-10.

Lyneis and Svoboda will open up the 2018 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Beach Volleyball Championships as the #17 seed from the South, with an 8 a.m. face-off with the #7 seed from the South, the "One's" team from the Riverside City Tigers, sophomore Brittney Diffine (Riverside Poly) and freshman Natalie Escher (Redlands H.S.). Then immediately afterwards, beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Roadrunners will take on the #2 seed from the North, the "Two's" team from the Cabrillo Seahawks, Hayley Hall and Deirdre Wilson.

Any team that wins a match will automatically play a third game, in this case, the Roadrunners would take on the #10 seed from the North, the "Two's" team from the Gavilan Rams, freshman Katia Dizon (San Juan Bautista Anzar) and freshman Emily Jensen.

West Valley College in Saratoga is home to one of the best beach volleyball facilities in the country, will be the center of action for three days when it hosts the 2018 CCCAA Beach Volleyball Championships with the pairs competition beginning on Friday.

Co-Head Coaches, Marion Champion and Detlev Rothe, will be linking up their game recording device to the "College of the Desert Athletics" Facebook page for the entirety of the Roadrunners participation at the State Finals. Make sure you tune in beginning on Friday at 8:00 a.m. HERE

Follow COD Athletics on Twitter @COD_Athletics Instagram @COD_Athletics or Facebook @College of the Desert Athletics

For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.