Courtesy: Pac-12 Conference
Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship
- Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium – Palo Alto, California
- April 26-28, 2018
- Tournament Central
STANFORD, Calif. – Four teams remain at the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship, including top-seeded and top-ranked UCLA, No. 2-seed USC and No. 3-seed Cal. No. 6 Washington played spoiler, recording an upset over host-and No. 4-seed Stanford to advance to the final day and get a chance to compete for the Pac-12 title.
City-rivals UCLA and USC meet for just the third time in the three-year history of the championship in the Saturday’s semifinal. The teams met twice in last year’s event. The Bruins cruised to a 5-0 win over the Cardinal to get to the semifinal dual, taking all five matches in straight sets.
The Trojans defeated Cal, 4-1. The teams split the No. 4 and No. 5 matches, but USC took the next three in the second round, including bouncing back to win a three-setter between Joy Dennis and Cammie Dorn versus Bryce Bark and Madison Dueck. Dennis/Dorn handily won the first set, 21-14, but relinquished a close second set, 21-18. The Trojan pair then outlasted the Cal pair, 15-13.
The biggest highlights of the day came in the final two duals of the day. In the only 3-2 decision so far in the championship, the Bears and fifth-seeded ARIZONA battled in an elimination matchup in the second-to-last dual of the day. The teams split the No. 4 and No. 5, each claiming the matches in straight sets. The Bears’ top-flight pair of Mima Mirkovic and Jessica Gaffney gave Cal a 2-1 lead, winning in straight sets, leaving it up to the twos and threes.
UA’s Hailey Devlin and Stephany Purdue fell in the first set to Bark/Dueck, 21-13, but battled back to win the next two 21-18 and 20-18 to stave off elimination and give Wildcat teammates Kacey Nady and Olivia Hallaran a chance to pull off the upset. Nady/Hallaran forced a third set at No. 2, winning by a 31-29 margin after dropping the first set to Cal’s Iya Lindahl and Alexia Inman, 21-17. But Lindahl/Inman turned up the heat in the third to claim the deciding point, 15-11.
Washington has pulled off an upset in each of the first two championships and it was due for one this year. The Huskies took down the Cardinal in a tightly-contested 4-1 decision. UW claimed the first two duals at No. 4 and No. 5. But Stanford’s Courtney Bowen and Sunny Villapando claimed the team’s first point of the dual, 21-19, 23-21. Though Washington would take the next two points at No. 2 and No. 3 pairs, the Cardinal forced a third set in each match, the No. 2 pair of Courtney Schwan and Destiny Julye eventually recording the deciding point over Stanford’s Morgan Hertz and Amelia Smith, 19-21, 21-16, 15-10.
Earlier in the day, the Wildcats eliminated eighth-seeded Utah in the opening match, 5-0, to advance to face Cal later in the day. Sixth-seeded Washington defeated seventh-seeded Arizona State, 4-1, in the second elimination dual of the day and setting up the Huskies-Cardinal matchup.
The final four teams compete for the Pac-12 crown on Saturday. In a rematch of last year’s semifinal, USC and UCLA square off at 9 a.m. PT. The winner claims the first spot in the championship dual. Cal and Washington go head-to-head for the second time in the championship at 11 a.m. PT. The winner faces the loser of the UCLA-USC matchup.
The Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship will be televised on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Network Bay Area. Every dual can also be seen on the Pac-12 Now app. For updated scores and bracket throughout the championship, visit http://pac-12.com/beach-volleyball/championship.
Friday’s Results
DUAL 7: #5 ARIZONA def. #8 UTAH, 5-0
1. Natalie Anselmo/Olivia Macdonald (ARIZ) def. Adora Anae/Dani Barton (UTAH), 16-21, 25-23, 15-8
2. Kacey Nady/Olivia Hallaran (ARIZ) def. Bailey Choy/Tawnee Luafalemana (UTAH), 21-12, 21-17
3. Hailey Devlin/Stephany Purdue (ARIZ) def. Melissa Powell/Kenzie Koerber (UTAH), 21-5, 21-19
4. Brooke Burling/Jonny Baham (ARIZ) def. Berkeley Oblad/Lauga Gauta (UTAH), 21-18, 21-11
5. Caroline Cordes/Makenna Martin (ARIZ) def. Brianna Doehrmann/Lauren Sproule (UTAH), 21-8, 21-9
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3*, 2, 1
DUAL 8: #6 WASHINGTON def. #7 ARIZONA STATE, 4-1
1. Jordan Anderson/Kimmy Gardiner (WASH) def. Kwyn Johnson/Mia Rivera (ASU), 21-15, 21-10
2. Courtney Schwan/Destiny Julye (WASH) def. Frances Giedraitis/Natalie Braun (ASU), 21-17, 21-12|
3. Carly Dehoog/Shayne McPherson (WASH) def. Ellyson Lundberg/Katelyn Carballo (ASU), 30-28, 19-21, 16-14
4. Anna Crabtree/Kara Bajema (WASH) def. Katie Cross/Cierra Flood (ASU), 21-19, 21-14
5. Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin (ASU) def. Natalie Robinson/Sam Drecshel (WASH), 21-17, 21-10
Order of finish: 4,5,1,2*,3
DUAL 9: #2 USC def. #3 CALIFORNIA, 4-1
1. Tina Graudina/Abril Bustamante (USC) def. Mima Mirkovic/Jessica Gaffney (CAL), 21-8, 21-14
2. Terese Cannon/Sammy Slater (USC) def. Iya Lindahl/Alexia Inman (CAL), 21-12, 21-16
3. Joy Dennis/Cammie Dorn (USC) vs. Bryce Bark/Madison Dueck (CAL), 21-14, 18-21, 15-13
4. Mia Merino/Carolina Schafer (CAL) def. Jenna Belton/Maja Kaiser (USC), 32-30, 21-15
5. Alexandra Poletto/Haley Hallgren (USC) def. Maddie Micheletti/Grace Campbell (CAL), 21-16, 19-21, 16-14
Order of finish: 4,5,1,2*,3
DUAL 10: #1 UCLA def. #4 STANFORD, 5-0
1. Nicole McNamara/Megan McNamara (UCLA) def. Courtney Bowen/Sunny Villapando (STAN), 21-12, 21-13
2. Lily Justine/Sarah Sponcil (UCLA) def. Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN), 21-19, 21-16
3. Savvy Simo/Madi Yeomans (UCLA) def. Kate Formico/Cat Raquel (STAN), 21-15, 21-10
4. Elise Zappia/Mac May (UCLA) def. Cait Keefe/Payton Chang (STAN), 21-15, 21-13
5. Izzy Carey/Megan Muret (UCLA) def. Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN), 21-14, 21-14
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1*, 3, 2
DUAL 11: #3 CALIFORNIA def. #7 ARIZONA, 3-2
1. Mima Mirkovic/Jessica Gaffney (CAL) def. Natalie Anselmo/Olivia Macdonald (ARIZ), 21-19, 21-11
2. Iya Lindahl/Alexia Inman (CAL) def. Kacey Nady/Olivia Hallaran (ARIZ), 21-17, 29-31, 15-11
3. Hailey Devlin/Stephany Purdue (ARIZ) def. Bryce Bark/Madison Dueck (CAL), 13-21, 21-18, 20-18
4. Brooke Burling/Jonny Baham (ARIZ) def. Mia Merino/Caroline Schafer (CAL), 21-15, 21-16
5. Maddie Micheletti/Grace Campbell (CAL) def. Caroline Cordes/Makenna Martin (ARIZ), 21-16, 21-19
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2*
DUAL 12: #6 WASHINGTON def. #4 STANFORD, 4-1
1. Courtney Bowen/Sunny Villapando (STAN) d. Jordan Anderson/Kimmy Gardiner (WASH), 21-19, 23-21
2. Courtney Schwan/Destiny Julye (WASH) def. Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) 19-21, 21-16, 15-10
3. Carly Dehoog/Shayne McPherson (WASH) d. Kate Formico/Cat Raquel (STAN) 26-24, 16-21, 15-11
4. Anna Crabtree/Kara Bajema (WASH) def. Cait Keefe/Payton Chang (STAN), 21-11, 21-17
5. Natalie Robinson/Sam Drecshel (WASH) def. Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN), 21-16, 21-14
Order of finish: 5,4,1,2*,3
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