Fullerton Snags 2021 OEC Beach Volleyball Title

The Fullerton women's beach volleyball team captured its first-ever Orange Empire Conference title last week.

The Hornets hosted a doubleheader match against Saddleback College on Friday, May 14, and won both contests 5-0, 5-0 at the Newland Courts in Huntington Beach.

Fullerton ends the regular season with a record of 9-0 overall, the best in program history.

In the day's first match for Fullerton last Friday, Hannah Wilmes and Kenzie Palmer won 21-9, 21-7, Faith Webb and Chloe Johnson also captured their match 21-7, 21-9, and Hailey Varvas and Samantha Swanson clinched the contest, 21-9, 21-6.

Fullerton's duo of Hannah Tobin and Alexis Zander rounded out the victory by winning their match, 21-9, 21-7.

In the second match of the doubleheader, Wilmes and Palmer won 21-13, 21-7, Webb and Johnson 21-9, 21-6, Vargas and Swanson took their games 21-9, 21-7, and Brianne Elorriaga and Karen Delgadillo cruised, 21-2, 21-8.

The Cypress women's beach team finished tied for second in the conference with a record of 5-3, along with Orange Coast.

Cypress received two victories from the team of its top team of Alexis Flores and Miranda Telles in its doubleheader with Santa Ana last Friday in Huntington Beach.

The duos of Mary Hicks and Amand Risch and Jamie Choi and Kaelie Tulette also came through for the Chargers to complete a 5-0 win in the first contest.

In the second match, Allison Ariolla and Alyssa Hernandez won on the third court and Choi and Tulette also starred for Cypress with a win.

Orange Coast won five matches in a row to finish the season and end up tied for second in the OEC.

The Pirates defeated Cypress, 3-2, in the second game of a doubleheader on Apr. 23 and then swept both Santa Ana and Saddleback in doubleheaders the following two weeks.

OCC was led this season by Summer Hanks, Thea Snider, Alana Shields, Sara Enright, Rachel Street, Haley Reid, Joceline Martinez and Lexy Mendez.

Long-time OCC women's indoor and beach coach Charles Cutenese summed up the fight, grit and spirit of the student-athletes in the conference.

"The strength of our team is that they are all-good friends," he said. "There are many programs that didn't get to play this year and I've reminded our players that we are fortunate to get the opportunity to compete. Our student-athletes are very thankful for the opportunity to play beach and I've seen that change in their mental and emotional health."