Beach Volleyball: OEC Postseason Awards
Irvine Valley’s pairs of sophomore Renata Bath and freshman Lea Kruse and sophomores Alyssa Vortouni and Emilie Austin were named the most valuable players of the women’s beach volleyball Orange Empire Conference team.
Irvine Valley's pairs of sophomore Renata Bath and freshman Lea Kruse and sophomores Alyssa Vortouni and Emilie Austin were named the most valuable players of the women's beach volleyball Orange Empire Conference team.
Bath and Kruse and Vortouni and Austin shared the conference title after the final day of the conference pairs championship at Irvine Valley on Apr. 26.
The two teams didn't compete in the final with team regional and then individual regional matches on the schedule next week.
Bath and Kruse defeated the Riverside duo of Vashti Elias-Romero and Natalie Escher, 21-14, 21-13, in one semifinal and Vortouni and Austin upset the Cypress duo of Khamis Berneker and Brittany Zavala, 21-13, 21-13, in the other semifinal.
Elias-Romero and Escher won a marathon third-place match over Berneker and Zavala, 21-15, 10-21, 18-16, to place third.
Elias-Romero and Escher and Berneker and Zavala were all named first team all-conference.
Joining them on the first team were Irvine Valley's pair of freshmen Anna Unke and Gabriela Griego, Santa Ana's duo of Karissa Mumford and Erisa Pooee and the Orange Coast pairs of Camryn Kaina and Shannon Stone and Kacey Mathieson and Bailey Coffin.
Bath, Kruse, Vortouni, Austin, Unke, Griego and the pair of freshmen Alaina Gendale and Kendall Nolan, who were named second team all-conference, all played roles in helping Irvine Valley win the conference's Eastern Division title, go undefeated in OEC action and make the playoffs. All except Nolan were part of IVC's indoor volleyball team that captured a conference title and made a state tournament appearance last fall.
Cypress and Orange Coast shared the Western Division championship in the conference.
Full all-conference teams are listed below.
Women's Beach Volleyball All-Orange Empire Conference
2019 OEC Champions: Cypress & Orange Coast (Western Division - co-champs) and Irvine Valley (Eastern Division)
2019 OEC MVPs: Renata Bath/Lea Kruse and Alyssa Vortouni/Emilie Austin, Irvine Valley College
2019 OEC Coach of the Year: none
1st Team All-OEC
Renata Bath/Lea Kruse Irvine Valley
Alyssa Vortouni/Emilie Austin, Irvine Valley
Vashti Elias-Romero/Natalie Escher, Riverside
Khamis Berneker/Brittany Zavala, Cypress
Anna Unke/Gabriela Griego, Irvine Valley
Karissa Mumford/Erisa Pooee, Santa Ana
Camryn Kaina/Shannon Stone, Orange Coast
Kacey Mathieson/Bailey Coffin, Orange Coast
2nd Team All-OEC
Alaina Gendale/Kendall Nolan, Irvine Valley
Ayla Fresenius/Nickie Hughes, Saddleback
Kayla Owens/Alisha Ormand, Cypress
Lauren Schaefer/Amanda Henderson, Fullerton
Jane Woodward/Danielle Gomez, Cypress
Nikol Powers/Holly Hennessy, Golden West
Kiki Pearson/Mia Lara, Golden West
Hannah Reid/Lu Lualdi, Orange Coast