There’s a sense of pride that Wilson’s top-ranked duo has when they walk onto the sand. With an unblemished Moore League record, juniors Simrin Adams and Sadie Calderone have the utmost confidence in each other that they will win regardless of the situation they’re in.
So, when the duo trailed in the second set of their Moore League Pairs title match they leaned on their communication and mounted a comeback to defeat Millikan’s Bethany Arnold and Sarah Thaut 21-9, 22-20 on Wednesday on the LBCC Sand Courts.
The win is the pair’s second straight league title and keeps them undefeated in Moore League contests.
“We’re friends outside of volleyball,” Calderone said of her and Adams’ dynamic as a duo. “So, we just communicate and work together.”
After trailing 13-7, Calderone and Adams mounted a 10-4 run to tie the 17-17. Adams then lofted a back line hit that landed to give the Bruins the lead as Millikan took a timeout. The duo continued to go back and forth before Adams put away the match point.
Before the finals, Adams and Calderone swept Bruins’ teammates Jane Morrison and Iyla Alvarado to advance to the finals.
“Simrin and Sadie are just lights out,” Wilson coach Charlie Pangborn said. ”Those two, I mean, it’s almost unfair for us to have. It’s a cheat code for us to have Simrin and Sadie just show up and do what they do on this court. They’re both such talented athletes and it’s a pleasure having them.”
Entering the finals, Adams said they approached the tournament like it was a team match.
“We know as our No. 1 pair our team can get a big lift if we win,” Adams said. “So, we wanted to make sure we did that just like we do when it’s a team match.”
While Wilson had two teams in the final four, Millikan and Long Beach Poly had the remaining two duos in the semifinals. Arnold and Thaut defeated Poly’s No. 1 pair of Avery Milburn and Mina Orbiso to make the finals.
The finalists will receive the Moore League’s CIF-SS Pairs Championship automatic bids, while Poly’s Milburn and Orbiso will have a chance at an at-large bid after defeating Wilson’s Iyla Alvarado and Jane Morrison in the third-place match.
“Super proud of the way our girls showed up today,” Pangborn said. “Really been an exciting experience working with the other coaches and kind of setting a bracket that we felt was super fair and gave every, you know, all the best teams, the best shot they had to be successful.”
The Moore League teams will now have three weeks off before the CIF-SS playoffs begin April 21-23. Wilson, Long Beach Poly will look to repeat as champions, while Millikan will look to build on their runner-up finish from a year ago.
