The Olympians will enter the 2026 3C2A playoffs as the No. 4 seed and will face a skilled and well-coached Santa Barbara City College squad in the Southern Division on Friday, April 17.

After a season filled with challenges, finishing with a regular season record of 13-9 (9–5 conference), Mesa has started to come together at the right time. They enter the tournament with a six-match winning streak, with key victories over Golden West College.

A point of emphasis from the coaching staff will be to serve aggressively. Head coach David Proffitt stresses the importance of tough serving, when the team serves well, positive results often follow.

Santa Barbara City College presents many challenges since they have a variety of offensive options. They run a 6-2 system, which ensures three front-row attackers at all times. Because of this, it will be important for the Olympians to force them out of system whenever possible.

Passing will also play a crucial role for Mesa. With a strong middle attack, quality passing is essential to keep the offense in system and operating effectively at the net.

Defensively, the Olympians will need to contain Vaqueros outside hitter No. 11, Mykala Petriatias, one of their top offensive threats. They also feature two strong middle blockers in Keegan Hubbard and Nick Schultz. 

“SBCC is a great team, and we need to stay connected throughout the match,” said Proffitt. “If we communicate consistently and play to our full potential, we have a strong chance to win.”

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