Long Beach, Calif.

Just like the 3C2A Team Beach Volleyball Championship, the state's top-ranked duos battled it out for individual glory in the Pairs Championship, held at Long Beach City College on May 9 and 10. After two intense days of competition, Santa Monica College's Annah Legaspi and Nicole Lankton emerged victorious, solidifying their status as the No. 1 beach volleyball pair in California out of 235 teams statewide.

Starting with 32 pairs—13 from the North, 19 from the South—the field was narrowed to 16 by Friday evening after nearly 12 hours of pool play in sweltering heat.

Legaspi and Lankton's path to the title was dominant but not without challenges. One of their toughest match came early Saturday against Mt. San Antonio's Candace Ceballos and Madeline Castillo, requiring three sets (21-14, 14-21, 15-7) to advance. From there, they cruised past Orange Coast's Jordan Packer and Kayla Ihrig (21-12, 21-17), and then shocked San Diego Mesa's Jaiden Mojica and Myah Gomez—one of last year's champions—with a decisive 21-18, 21-15 win.

Meanwhile, Fresno City's Phoebe Constable and Lusa Andrews had a grueling road to the finals. After defeating Sierra's Paige Skinner and Lainey Black in two close sets (21-19, 21-18), they clawed back from a set down against Viola Barrios and Shai Daniels of Ventura, and again came from behind in the semifinals against Korie Milan and Josephine Springer of San Jacinto. Playing their third day of competitive volleyball in a row—after helping Fresno to a runner-up finish in Thursday's team championship—they battled fatigue but showed remarkable grit.

In the championship final, both teams came out fired up, with friends, family and teammates cheering from the sidelines. Fresno took an early lead, but Santa Monica responded with a late surge, tying it at 15-15 before pulling away to take the first set 21-18. The second set saw Legaspi and Lankton take complete control, sealing the championship with a 21-13 finish.

"It feels insane—like unreal," said Legaspi. "We've worked so hard to get here. Everything we've accomplished, we've done together. It's 50/50. She's the tall one and the big swinger." Lankton then added with a grin, "She's the little, passing everything and running around everywhere to set me up."

That partnership extended beyond the court, too. "My biggest challenge was managing negative self-talk," Legaspi admitted. "But I reminded myself we were here for a reason—we had a goal to accomplish." Lankton added, "The hardest part was just staying positive, especially for Annah to feed off of. We kept each other's spirits high so we could stay focused and finish what we came here to do."

SMC head coach Christian Cammayo praised the duo's resilience: "They finished 39-1 this season and have been through a lot. They stayed together through thick and thin, overcoming adversity. I'm just so proud of all their effort."

Fresno's performance shouldn't be overlooked. The Rams end the season with second place finishes in indoor, team beach, and now pairs—a testament to their commitment to excellence, strong program, dedicated coaches and consistency across all formats.

As the sun set over Long Beach, the 2025 beach volleyball season officially came to a close. Legaspi and Lankton not only secured the state title but cemented their legacy as one of the most dominant pairs in 3C2A beach volleyball history. 

Release by Megan Powers, CCCSIA/3C2A Beach Volleyball Championship SID