By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

It's been one of the busiest weeks of the 2023 fall season for the Napa Valley College women's golf team, with the Storm traveling to Sacramento, Stockton and Paso Robles for events.

Napa Valley was at the Bing Maloney Golf Complex for a dual match against Sacramento City College on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Jill Obelleiro had a career-low 77 to lead the Storm.

"Jill had a beautiful round. It was nice to see her post a good number," NVC coach Bob Freschi said.

Sacramento City won the dual match, 337-349.

Also, for the Storm, it was Ping Yang, 89; Desiree Berdiago, 91; Mya Brooks, 92; and Ela Ashley, 100.

"It was nice to see us getting into the 340s," said Freschi. "Hopefully, we can continue that trend and not the trend we had at Spanos (The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton).

"Ping was just consistent, hitting fairways down the middle and got it near the green.

"Mya is going through a little swing change with her wedges. So, we are in the middle of that and she is learning how to control her wedges more so. She is going to be better in the next couple of weeks here. She got better (Thursday), as she had a nice round. She hits it a ton. And now we've got to get better around the green, understanding the high trajectory, the low trajectory shots, bump and runs. She really hits the ball well. She had a nice round and she battled there."

Napa Valley went to The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton for the Big 8 Conference's sixth tournament of the season on Thursday, Oct. 5. The Storm was fifth, shooting a 366-team score.

Obelleiro led the Storm, posting an 87.

Also playing for NVC was Brooks, 90; Yang, 94; Ashley, 95; and Berdiago, 96.

"It just wasn't our day," said Freschi. "The greens are really firm and fast, and we didn't adjust to them too well, early on. And then we started hitting some errant tee shots that found water. The bunkers there are tough.

"We didn't play too well overall, but that tends to happen in this game. Still try to find the positives – we call them small victories within a round. I did see some good shots. Just wasn't consistent enough on a hole-to-hole basis."

Modesto Junior College finished first in the team scoring at 327.

Reedley College was second at 334, Sacramento City was third at 339, and Sierra College-Rocklin was fourth at 351.

Also, in the team field was San Joaquin Delta College-Stockton, 374.

Napa Valley is back on the road, as the Storm is entered in the State Preview/North-South Tournament, Oct. 8-9, at Hunter Ranch Golf Course, in Paso Robles.

"It will be a good refresh, reboot for us this weekend," said Freschi.

There are 15 teams in the field – five from Northern California and 10 from Southern California.

"The experience of playing in a two-day tournament is something we haven't done. So, just the experience alone and how to prep for it and how to execute it, it's good for the team. You have got to have the ability to understand its 36 holes, not 18," said Freschi.

The trip is also good for team camaraderie, said Freschi.

"We're looking forward to it. All indications, it's a very tough course, a hilly course. We're excited to see it, and let's see what it has to bring."

The California Community College Athletic Association Women's Golf Championships are Nov. 12-13 at Hunter Ranch Golf Course.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.