The beach volleyball team swept the College of the Siskiyous Eagles and dropped a game to the Cabrillo College Seahawks in a doubleheader on Friday.

The Hawks had a commanding start to their day winning all five sets against the Siskiyous.

“The key to our game is playing great defense in practice,” said assistant coach Eric Nguyen. “Getting to practice, seeing what needs to be fixed and seeing how we can play a tighter game.”

The Hawks were on a two-game winning streak prior to Friday’s matchups.

Freshman split Kaylie Reyes said it’s important to not downplay the opponent.

“There definitely was a confidence boost prior to the start of today, but it definitely was a little rocky,” Reyes said. “We always play as hard as we can and never underestimate any of our opponents.”

The Hawks fell to Cabrillo College in their next matchup of the day, losing 3-2. Building a positive mindset in practice helps prepare for any roadblocks in the game, said sophomore switch Cassidy Pham.

“I try to practice my mentality at our team practices,” Pham said. “When you’re down or you lose, it’s really easy to take out that energy on ourselves or our teammates.”

The Hawks later traveled to Saratoga to face West Valley College and the College of San Mateo, marking their first away games of the season. The team won both matches, bringing their overall record to 5-3.

“It’s kind of like the unknown,” Nguyen said. “When we’re playing at home, it’s our court and there is less worry. When you’re away, you have to venture out more.”

The team will look to face College of the Siskiyous again in a rematch on Feb. 28.

“As long as we keep playing together, it should feel like home,” Pham said. “Home is where the heart is and if we have that, we will do fine.”