HONOLULU - Highs and lows are inherent in any season, and sometimes they can even come in back-to-back matches. In its first action since an exhilarating win against No. 14 Stanford last weekend, the No. 11 Cal beach volleyball team fell to No. 6 in Hawai'i in heartbreaking fashion in its first dual of the Heineken Hawai'i Invitational on Saturday.

After taking the No. 1 and 5 matchups but losing at No. 2, Cal needed only one victory from either the No. 3 or No. 4 pairs to capture the dual. Both matches went to three sets. Both third sets went to extra points. Both ended in losses, and the Rainbow Wahine won 3-2.

A win against a team ranked as high as Hawai'i would have done wonders for the Bears' in the national rankings and their chance at making the NCAA Tournament.

"The Hawai'i loss stings," Cal head coach Meagan Owusu said. "We had many opportunities to clinch that victory and we just fell short. With any loss we will learn a lot from this. And we are excited to hopefully have another opportunity to play them soon."

The Bears (9-2) may get that opportunity as early as Sunday.

Cal  had to quickly shake off the gutting defeat, as the Bears played duals against Nebraska and Boise St. later in the afternoon. Perhaps a little deflated, the Bears came out flat against unranked Nebraska - needing third-set victories in the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 matches to get the victory. However, Cal came through when they needed to, in the end shutting out Nebraska to the tune of 5-0. Cal's No. 3 pair of senior Grace Campbell and sophomore Maddie Micheletti were particularly dominant, thrashing their Nebraska counterparts 21-8, 21-5. 

The ability for her team to shake off a brutal loss and immediately go back to battle is something Owusu cherishes about her team and something that will benefit Cal moving forward. 

"To come off of a very emotional loss and have about 20 minutes before your next match is a huge challenge," Owusu said. "So I am really proud of how the team redirected their focus for the Nebraska match and handled their business for the rest of the day."

Cal was in control for its final dual of the day against Boise St., defeating the Broncos, 4-1. The Bears' No. 5 pair of senior Mia Merino and junior Abby Waldburger continued their strong season together, cruising to a 21-12, 21-10 victory.

The seedings after the first day of the tournament has the Bears playing Boise State once again Sunday at 1:30 p.m. PT. If the Bears win and Hawai'i defeats Nebraska, Cal will get its rematch against the Rainbow Wahine at 4:30 p.m. PT.


No. 6 Hawai'i 3, No. 11 Cal 2
No. 1. Mima Mirkovic-Jordan Polo (CAL) def. Amy Ozee-Emily Maglio 22-20, 21-17
No. 2. Ari Homayun-Morgan Martin (UH) def. Caroline Schafer-Iya Lindahl 21-19, 21-16
No. 3. Julia Scoles-Hi'ilawe Huddleston (UH) def. Grace Campbell-Maddie Micheletti 14-21, 21-11, 18-16
No. 4. Kylin Loker-Pani Napoleon (UH) def. Alexia Inman-Madison Dueck 21-18, 17-21, 18-16
No. 5. Abby Waldburger-Mia Merino (CAL) def. Jenna Banz-Paige Dreeuws 22-20, 21-19

No. 11 Cal 5, Nebraska 0
No. 1. Mima Mirkovic-Jordan Polo (CAL) def. Lauren Stirvins-Nicklin Hames 21-13, 18-21, 15-12
No. 2. Iya Lindahl-Caroline Schafer (CAL) def. Kenzie Knuckles-Jazz Sweet 17-21, 21-18, 15-9
No. 3. Grace Campbell-Maddie Micheletti (CAL) def. Mari Kurkova-Madi Kubik 21-8, 21-5
No. 4. Alexia Inman-Madison Dueck (CAL) def. Hayley Densberger-Anezka Szabo 21-16, 21-17
No. 5. Mia Merino-Abby Waldburger (CAL) def. Callie Schwarzenback-Megan Miller 21-13, 19-21, 16-14

No. 11 Cal 4, Boise St. 1
No. 1. Jordan Polo-Mima Mirkovic (CAL) def. Janell Walley-Kendra Bodine 21-15, 21-10
No. 2. Sabryn Roberts-Morgan Hughes (BSU) def. Iya Lindahl-Caroline Schafer 18-21, 24-22, 15-13
No. 3. Maddie Micheletti-Grace Campbell (CAL) def. Ellie McDonald-Kylee Johnson 21-10, 21-15
No .4. Madison Dueck-Alexia Inman (CAL) def. Jensen Allen-Kiley Lewis 21-12, 24-22
No. 5. Abby Waldburger-Mia Merino (CAL) def. Kenna Hanses-Maya Watkins 21-13, 21-10