SANTA CRUZ - Through rain-soaked practices, bone dry baked potatoes, and a global pandemic the Cabrillo Volleyball program endured to post a perfect beach season in 2021. As sweet as the final spike by freshman Bella Bush was to secure the 5-0 sweep against West Valley College in the second match of the day, one can't help but wonder how far this group would have gone in a normal post-season year. Then again, with 14 out of 15 players returning next season it may not be long before another State Championship banner hangs in the gymnasium.

"It's huge," said volleyball head coach Kelsee Montagna. "This shows how committed and dedicated (the team) was to come into practice. This is exactly what they needed after a long and tough year and we are only losing one player headed into the fall, which is bittersweet, but everyone got better, which is always the goal."

All the characteristics and characters commonly found on a championship squad were present this year. Except for the number 1's all pairings saw multiple configurations forcing teammates to be fluent in each other's games. Injuries are a part of any sports season and the Seahawks have navigated all manner of bumps and bruises. 

The program registered wins in 92% of their matches by a score of 4-1 or better, including seven clean sweeps.

"From the very beginning we knew we had something special," said Montagna. "It is always hit or miss and every team is beatable on any given day depending on various factors, especially coming to play here with the high winds. I think this group has worked hard enough to be considered a State Championship caliber team but we have to stay grounded and focus on the fall."

A "young" team of savvy student-athletes, Beach Volleyball was anchored by the elite freshmen pairing of Bella Bush and Shirley Morrison who left opponents befuddled and flabbergasted. 

"It was a long time coming, I give props to our teammates for staying consistent, like Ashely (Souza) and Alana (Patyk-Randa) who were consistent number 2's that pushed us to be better every day in practice. Same for Lindsay (Hellar) and Haily (Naccarato), they stepped up to the plate and really put pressure on us to improve our game."

At opposite ends of the team's height chart, Bush and Morrison's chemistry shone through match after match as the pair went undefeated.

"You work really hard in practice and we have struggled to find a flow in our partnership," said Morrison. "It takes a lot of communication and time but it's really cool when you see it pay off like this."

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