Temperatures may be spring-like, but competition on the sands of local beaches is heating up, particularly for a group of talented Lady Mustangs.
Mira Costa seniors Rio Frohoff and Sunny Villapando are off to a fast start this season as they prepare for collegiate careers.
The duo captured their second Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournament championship of the year Saturday winning gold at the National Classic presented by Tropic Swimwear in Hermosa Beach.
The tournament featured girls 18-and-under competition with the players honing their skills before taking their game to the next level.
Tulane-bound Frohoff and Villapando, who will play at Stanford, defeated Keara Rutz (San Juan Capistrano) and Amelia Smith (San Jose) for the crown. Mira Costa freshman Maya Harvey teamed with Hallie Carballo, of Aliso Viejo, to place third.
“Rio and I have been playing together since last year and really mesh well,” Villapando said. “I love Hermosa and used to live on 2nd Street so this is my favorite beach.”
Winning also contributes to the team’s fondest of Hermosa Beach. Frohoff and Villapando won the AAU Tropic Swimwear Open on March 19, the USA Volleyball Junior Beach Tour stop on March 25 then placed 3rd at the AAU Spring Classic on April 2.
They also won bronze medals at the 2016 AAU West Coast Junior Olympic Games, the most prestigious youth tournament that features more than 300 teams from across the country, Canada and Puerto Rico that qualified for the competition.
Other local athletes also medaled at the AAU Spring Classic including Mira Costa senior Maddie Micheletti. The UC Berkeley-bound Micheletti teamed with Cami Sanchez, of Huntington Beach, to win gold in the 18U division.
The Manhattan Beach duo of Colby Bennett and Eden McCoy won the girls 14U division and Ella Gray (Redondo Beach) and Clara Stowell (Yorba Linda) placed second in the girls 12U competition.
Five local boys medaled in 14U division with John Ballardi (Manhattan Beach)/Kyle Johnson (Manhattan Beach) defeating Will Coppedge (Manhattan Beach)/Jack Kane (Playa del Rey) in the championship game. Cole Collins (Manhattan Beach)/Jim Garrison (Manhattan Beach) were bronze medalists.
At the all-female AAU Tropic Swimwear Open, Micheletti (Manhattan Beach and Amelia Smith (San Jose) placed third in the 18U division while Olivia Bakos (Manhattan Beach) and Peri Brennan (Laguna Beach) took home the gold in the 15U division.
The Hermosa Beach tandem of Cassidy Antrobius and Kayce Weber placed third in the 14U competition and local girls made it a clean sweep in the 12U division.
Erin Inskeep (Hermosa Beach)/Drew Wright (Hermosa Beach) defeated Katherine Jester (Manhattan Beach)/Catherine Maffei (Hermosa Beach) in the championship game and Carly Greskovics (Manhattan Beach)/Shaw Harvey (Hermosa Beach) were bronze medalists.
The AAU returns on Sunday, May 7 for the Hermosa Beach Open Competition includes Boys 14U and Girls 10U, 12U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 18U divisions. For more information, visit aaubeach.org.
While Frohoff, Micheletti and Villapando are enjoying success in youth tournaments, the trio – along with fellow senior Alexia Inman – are leading Mira Costa’s girls beach volleyball team in the Interscholastic Beach Volleyball League (IBVL).
Joined by junior Piper Monk-Heidrich and three rising stars in freshmen Olivia Bakos, Maya Harvey and Kate Reilly, the Mustangs are seeking their fifth consecutive IBVL championship and have a 62-match winning streak under the tutelage of head coach Eric Fonoimoana.
“I think the girls are having fun with the streak,” Fonoimoana said. “We have four seniors who will represent us in the playoffs and they are very skilled and talented girls. They have a lot of experience and we are much more physical than in previous years. The goals of the team for this year was very simple. They want to be undefeated IBVL Champions for the fifth year in a row.”
Bakos feels the competition at practices help keep the program strong.
“Starters are based on how well we do during the week,” Bakos said. “The team has been so supportive to our freshman players, but we still feel a little stress because we don’t want to lose or have our winning streak stopped.”
Fonoimoana, a Mira Costa alum who won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and was a star on the professional circuit, also runs Elite Beach Volleyball coaching and preparing many of Southern California’s top young female players for collegiate careers.
“We’re crushing it in the IBVL,” Frohoff said..”Eric is the best coach. I love him so much. His philosophy of how we play this game is absolutely amazing.”
IBVL action resumes Tuesday, April 18 when Mira Costa plays at Palos Verdes then on Thursday, April 20, when the team faces Palisades Charter at Will Rogers State Park
The Mustangs.take on rival Redondo Tuesday, April 25 at Dockweiler State Beach. All matches begin at 3:30 p.m.
“We have three talented freshmen with Olivia, Maya and Kate,” Fonoimoana explained. “I only have three teams that I can play at a time so it will be a very difficult decision to see who will represent our playoff team. I also have Piper Monk, who I’m trying to figure out who she should play with. Last year she played on my No. 1 team with Emma Smith.”
To showcase the girls’ talents, Mira Costa will host its annual Queen of the Beach tournament on Sunday, April 30 when Monk-Heidrich defends her crown.
For more information, visit miracostabeach.com.
