Beach volleyball debuts in Santa Monica

Women’s beach volleyball is now a sanctioned sport at Pierce College.

The roster is composed of ten players and five teams of two players. Each set will go up to a score of 21, instead of 25 like in indoor volley games. It will be a best of three series, rather than a best of five.

“It’s very rare when the college gets to add a sport like this (beach volleyball),” Lofrano said. “I think it’s a real up-and-coming sport at our level and the four-year college level.”

Some players from the indoor volleyball team from the fall semester are expected to return to play for the beach team this season. They will be coached by Nabil Mardini, who was the head coach of the indoor women’s volleyball team, leading them to state-finals in which they lost.

Mardini is making it mandatory for regular women’s volleyball players to play on the beach volleyball team.

“It makes you a more wellrounded player, more versatile.” said Azeezat Anthonio, who played for the indoor volleyball team and will play for beach volleyball.

Antonio played middle on the indoor volleyball team and will be playing both right and side positions on the sand volleyball team this year.

Bea Hernandez, who played setter on the indoor team and will be playing on the beach team feels that playing on the sand can be a little more competitive.

“It’s only two people instead of six so you really just have to do

Pierce alum arrested for drug possesion

Former Pierce College star widereceiver and current Houston Texan, Jaelen Strong, was arrested for possession of marijuana and later released without being charged on Sunday night, Feb. 28, according to ESPN Staff writer Tania Ganguli.

Strong was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was a passenger in a black Maserati after driver and Green Bay Packers cornerback Damarius Randle was being pulled over for not having a visible license plate.

Police smelled the marijuana and questioned Strong, in which he admitted to not having a medical marijuana card. He gave the police a cigar box with three marijuana cigarettes inside.

SCHEDULE

Mar.2- Mar 9

Softball

Friday, March 4 vs. Pasadena City 1 p.m.

Tennis

Thursday, March 3 Rain Date

Friday March 4 @ Orange Coast 2 p.m.

Tuesday, March 8 @ Santa Barbara 2 p.m.

Swim and Dive

Friday, March 4 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 5 @ Ventura 11 a.m.

Men's Volleyball

Friday, March 4 @ El Camino 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 9 vs. Long Beach 6 p.m.

Baseball

Thursday, March 3 @ Hancock 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 5 vs. Ventura 1 p.m.

Tuesday, March 8 @ Ventura 2 p.m.

Women's Beach Volleyball

Sunday, March 6 @ CSUN doubleheader 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

more than the position you play,” Hernandez said.

The Brahmas will be playing against Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Ventura, El Camino and Antelope Valley.

Coach Nabil hopes that the volleyball team will get better playing on the beach.

“It’s known that the best volleyball players are beach volleyball players,” Mardini said.

The Brahmas will play their first regular season game at CSUN against Santa Barbara on March, 9 at 12:30 p.m.

The team had its first scrimmage doubles games on Friday, Feb. 26, at Annenberg State Beach against Bakersfield.

There were five separate teams playing 2-on-2 games. Four out of

Sports briefs

Strong, played for the Brahmas in 2012 where he caught 67 passes for 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He transferred and played for the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2012.

He was drafted by the Texans in the 3rd round (70) in 2015.

Pierce College Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees:

Al Bennett Basketball, Track & Field

Danetta Boykin

Volleyball

Sara Cremidas Swimming

Brittney Henderson

Basketball five of Bakersfield’s teams won against Pierce’s new team. The only team that won for Pierce was the duo of Sade Escobar and Cairo Harrell in the first game. They beat Bakersfield’s Savanah Cano and Kelsey Henderson in the best of three set series 2-1.

“We had a lot of energy,” Harrell said. “We had a lot of communication also and that helped us a lot.”

The team’s players Whitley Doss and Shari Volpis noticed the differences between court and beach volleyball games.

“Playing on the beach requires you to communicate more than indoor games,” Doss said.

Bakersfield head coach Carl Ferreira, explained some differences between court and

Compiled by Mitch Nodelman

– beach volleyball games.

“You can only use six players in indoor games, and there’s less room to move,” Ferreira said. “There needs to be a lot more communication between the players when you’re on the beach, and there is more space to move.”

Volpis thinks it takes a lot more mental toughness to play on the beach than on the court.

“Playing on the beach requires you to be extremely mentally tough,” Volpis said. Pierce played with a little more energy and communication during the second round of games on Friday as two teams were able win their games against Bakersfield.

The Brahmas feel good about their team this season.

“I think it’s good to have exhibition games so we can see what the other teams do and prepare us for the actual tournament games,” Volpis said.

Daniele Mamath also said that scrimmage games are good, that it will help them during their regular season.

“It’s good we’ve started scrimmage matches,” Mamath said. “We played tight, but we let ourselves get in our heads today, but for the most part these scrimmages are good so we are prepared for the real games.”

The Brahmas coach Tom Slauterbeck is confident that the team will do well this season of beach volleyball.

“To begin the season it’s a great place to start,” Slauterbeck said.

“We’re going to work on unity, but it’s a good start to the season.”

Bob Lofrano Baseball Coach

Nabil Mardini Volleyball Coach

Gerald Peeke Football, Wrestling

Adolfo Perez Soccer Coach

Leonard Ramirez Trainer

Fred Shaw Swim Coach

Jim Wolf Baseball