After winning their last two regular-season matches against Academy of Our Lady Peace, and Scripps Ranch, the Mission Bay girls beach volleyball team had a successful run in the postseason, which saw them make it to the semifinals on May 5.

Mission Bay dominated Castle Park in the first round of the playoffs by sweeping them 5-0 with all matches won in two sets. “They traveled to our home courts and were very sweet competitors as this was their first year competing in the sport,” said head coach Brittany Johnson.

The team then traveled to La Jolla Shores to play at La Jolla Country Day’s home courts in the quarterfinals, beating them 4-1. “The competition was much tighter, but again, it was a day of very gracious and sportsmanlike competition,” Johnson added.

Mission Bay moved on to the semifinals where they traveled to Classical Academy’s home courts and ended up going 2-3 in their five matches with two of the losses being decided in three sets.

“There were many discrepancies over the calls, as the girls still had to officiate themselves for semifinals,” said Johnson, who has been the head coach since the inception of the beach volleyball program in 2014, but the sport has been part of her life and passion since the age of 16. “It was quite contentious and close. It was a bittersweet ending to a great run.”

Classical Academy ended up losing in the finals to La Jolla High School.

Among the standout players during the season for Mission Bay were senior Jayden Higman, who will be attending the University of Southern California, and her sister, sophomore Justyne Higman. Making it to the semifinals was an impressive achievement for Mission Bay considering they started the season losing four of their first five competitions as the team hopes to make another run next season.