Cal Pac Jamboree: Dubs Down Park, Simpson on Day 1

By Brandon Petersen

It was breezy day beachside for Westcliff Women's Beach on Day 1 of the Cal Pac Jamboree Friday at Carlsbad's Warm Waters Jetty. 

The Warriors took down Park in the early match, 4-1, before wrapping with a 5-0 sweep of Simpson.

Against Park, Brooke Scheidle and Marcella Rodriguez (1s) won 21-11, 21-18, Serena Comer and Izzy Duchaine (3s) won 21-9, 21-10.

Westcliff's 4s, Faith Webb and Chloe Johnson, picked up a 21-16, 21-10 victory, while 5s, Ava Himstreet and Amanda Ferreira, won 21-14 and 21-19. 

The 6s, Sammie Swanson and Ella Beck, played against Park, winning 21-13, 21-9, but not against Simpson.

Westcliff's 2s, Sabrina Galassi and Diamonique Brogan, lost a nail-biter, 21-18, 21-19, against a Park squad that proved up to the challenge.

"First game was good," Westcliff head coach Hannah Matt said. "Last time we played Park, they gave us more of a battle than I think we expected, so, we came into this weekend knowing we would have the target on our backs. The girls were pretty fired up, and we had a talk about that. We were ready to go and took care of business."

Westcliff (8-4 overall, 6-0 Cal Pac) was the hot knife to Simpson's butter in Game 2, with Duchaine and Comer cruising 21-7, 21-5, and Webb and Johnson dominating with a 21-6, 21-4 victory. 

Rodriquez and Scheidle won 21-17, 21-7, and Galassi and Brogan were convincing in a 21-15, 21-13 win. 

Himstreet and Ferreira were equally impressive in a 21-9, 21-8 victory. 

"Our 4s team, Faith and Chloe, they just won 21-6, and 21-4," Matt said. "They're just one of those teams as a coach you love to have playing, because you can kind of just let them go and they're super self-sufficient. They'll problem-solve, and take care of business, so yeah, I'm really impressed with the way they performed today."

The back-to-back Cal Pac champs will look to reclaim their crown Saturday in Carlsbad. 

A few familiar foes stand in the way. 

"Tomorrow, we've got Ben U in the morning and St. Kats in the evening," Matt said. "We're not really focussing too much on what they're doing. It's more so about what's going on on our side of the court. It's just going to take focus, from the very beginning of the day during warmups, and I think if we can maintain our focus for the rest of the day, we'll take care of business."

First serve is high noon against host Ben U. 

The rivalry with Saint Katherine renews at 4 p.m.