The Mira Costa girls beach volleyball team went undefeated last season and are off to a perfect start so far in 2024.
That’s nothing new, considering the Mustangs (8-0) consecutive winning streak is approaching 160 matches.
“We lost four seniors in the starting lineup, but we’re returning four who were in the starting lineup,” coach Nancy Mason Reynolds said. “It feels different, but luckily we have this depth.”
The Mustangs’ No. 1 team of Erin Inskeep and Charlie Fuerbringer are not playing. Inskeep graduated and is playing at Cal Poly SLO and Reynolds said that Fuerbringer isn’t playing this season.
Tanon Rosenthal (LMU), Isabella Healy (High Point) and Brooke Balue (Washington), Carly Greskovics (Michigan), Ameena Campbell (CS Fullerton) were all seniors who have moved on to either indoor or beach volleyball collegiate programs.
“We missed some of that leadership, but the seniors we have now have been just as amazing and incredible,” Reynolds said.
This year’s roster has 12 seniors (Hayden Lin, Kendal Steller, Emma Markolf, Gabby Smith, Siena Hertlein, Rachel Moglia, Kate Morley, Savanna Lau, Giselle Lau, Chloe Hynes, Alexandra Kurz and Reese Thai-Sandoval).
Pairs to watch for the Mustangs have been Audrey Flanagan-Savanna Lau, Giselle Lau- Simone Roslon, Taylor Deckert-Kate Morley.
Mira Costa defeated Redondo (5-0), March 5. The second match is March 21. The Mustangs will also face San Marcos (March 22) and Palos Verdes (March 19 and April 11).
The Mustangs also have a 5-1 win over JSerra, currently ranked second in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 poll.
“Redondo is deep as they’ve been, which is awesome, we won 5-0, but all (of the matches) were very competitive,” Reynolds said. “We played JSerra, they’re strong and deep, we have San Marcos coming up. All of these programs are continuing to add depth, we’ve always had that to fall back on.
“I think this is going to be a competitive season.”
CIF-SS rankings
Mira Costa is No. 1 in the Division 1 poll. Redondo is third in this week’s Division 1 poll. In Division 2, Bishop Montgomery is second, followed by Peninsula (fourth) and El Segundo (fifth).