No. 13 Stanford polished off a 4-0 weekend to start the season with wins over Saint Mary’s and Pacific on Sunday at the Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium.
“Cal Poly, Pacific, St. Mary’s and Santa Clara all played unique brands of beach volleyball, were well coached, and poked some holes in our teams that we’re excited to remedy,” said first-year head coach Andrew Fuller. “Karissa, Lauren and I really enjoyed watching these athletes compete, witnessing growth at every flight.”
No. 5 pair Courtney Bowen and Kat Anderson led off for the Cardinal with a 21-18, 21-13 win, followed by another straight-set win at No. 4 by Morgan Hentz and Caitlin Keefe. Hentz and Keefe won by a score of 21-14, 21-16.
No. 3 pair Catherine Raquel and Shannon Richardson clinched the dual with a 15-21, 21-14, 15-7 win, ensuring a 3-0 start to the season for the Cardinal. Ivana Vanjak and Payton Chang won at the No. 2 position, 21-17, 18-21, 15-8, to make it 4-0 in favor of Stanford before No. 1 pair Kathryn Plummer and Jenna Gray dropped a 21-13, 13-21, 15-8 decision to make the final score 4-1.
Stanford completed the undefeated weekend with a 3-2 win against Pacific, the final dual of the weekend. No. 5 pair Bowen and Anderson went to 4-0 on the season with a 21-16, 21-15 win to give Stanford a 1-0 lead. Hentz and Keefe doubled the lead at No. 4, winning 21-11, 21-13.
The Tigers pulled a point back in the No. 3 match, with Raquel and Richardson dropping a 22-20, 21-13 decision. The Cardinal clinched the dual in the No. 2 match courtesy of Vanjak and Chang, who won 21-19, 21-12. Plummer and Gray dropped their match at the No. 1 position, 21-13, 13-21, 15-8 to make the final score 3-2.
“From a learning standpoint, we were really excited to find out, acknowledge and appreciate where we fell short this weekend,” added Fuller. “It gives us great fodder for practice, and the team has been tremendous about understanding where they can improve.”
Stanford returns to action on Friday when it hosts Utah at 4 p.m. PT at the Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium. The Cardinal then faces Saint Mary’s on Saturday at 11 a.m. followed by a 3 p.m. clash with California. Admission is free, and live results will be available at GoStanford.com.
Full Scores
Saint Mary’s 3, Cal Poly 2
1. Knudsen/Rund (SMC) def. Sonny/Hubbard (CP) 21-13, 22-20
2. Bible/Chase (SMC) def. Griesen/Pembroke (CP) 13-21, 22-20, 15-10
3. Van Winden/Gorman (CP) def. Hernandez/Calvin (SMC) 21-13 21-12
4. Salmons/Parker (SMC) def. Gruenwald/Gruenwald (CP) 22-20, 14-21, 15-13
5. Beilin/Boege (CP) def. Dodd/Young (SMC) 21-15, 21-15
Pacific 4, Santa Clara 1
1. Elman/Shelton (UOP) def. Hess/Kantor (SCU) 21-15, 21-19
2. Gotterba/LaBass (UOP) def. Mead/Cunningham (SCU) 21-15, 19-21, 15-10
3. Baptista/Poncetta (UOP) def. Lindberg/Laugero (SCU) 18-21, 21-19, 17-15
4. San Juan/Gajdka (SCU) def. Feldsher/Holt (UOP) 21-19, 21-19
5. Fleming/Wine (UOP) def. Nwabuzoh/Reineking (SCU) 21-15, 21-15
Stanford 4, Saint Mary’s 1
1. Knudsen/Rund (SMC) def. Plummer/Gray (Stan) 21-23, 21-13, 15-10
2. Vanjak/Chang (Stan) def. Bible/Chase (SMC) 21-17, 18-21, 15-8
3. Raquel/Richardson (Stan) def. Hernandez/Calvin (SMC) 15-21, 21-14, 15-7
4. Hentz/Keefe (Stan) def. Salmons/Parker (SMC) 21-14, 21-16
5. Anderson/Bowen (Stan) def. Dodd/Wilkerson (SMC) 21-18, 21-13
Cal 3, Cal Poly 2
1. Sonny/Hubbard (CP) def. Bark/Merino (Cal) 21-11, 21-14
2. Campbell/Rodberg (Cal) def. Griesen/Pembroke (CP) 21-13, 22-20
3. Van Winden/Gorman (CP) def. Gaffney/Stepanof (Cal) 21-16, 21-15
4. Lindahl/Anderson (Cal) def. Gruenwald/Gruenwald (CP) 21-12, 21-17
5. Neff/Gustafson (Cal) def. Beilin/Boege (CP) 22-20, 21-18
Stanford 3, Pacific 2
1. Elman/Shelton (UOP) def. Plummer/Gray (Stan) 21-13, 13-21, 15-8
2. Vanjak/Chang (Stan) def. Gotterba/LaBass (UOP) 21-19, 21-12
3. Baptista/Poncetta (UOP) def. Raquel/Richardson (Stan) 22-20, 21-13
4. Hentz/Keefe (Stan) def. Feldsher/Holt (UOP) 21-11, 21-13
5. Anderson/Bowen (Stan) def. Nwabuzoh/Reineking (SCU) 21-16, 21-15
Cal 4, Santa Clara 1
1. Bark/Merino (Cal) def. Hess/Kantor (SCU) 21-19, 21-19
2. Mead/Cunningham (SCU) def. Campbell/Rodberg (Cal) 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
3. Gaffney/Stepanof (Cal) def. Lindberg/Laugero (SCU) 21-10, 21-11
4. Lindahl/Anderson (Cal) def. San Juan/Gajdka (SCU) 21-18, 21-16
5. Neff/Gustafson (Cal) def. Nwabuzoh/Reineking (SCU) 21-12, 21-17
News courtesy of Stanford Athletics.
Leave a Reply