No. 2 UCLA Opens 2021 With Two Victories

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LOS ANGELES -- No. 2 UCLA (2-0) posted a pair of victories over No. 19 Stanford (1-3) on Saturday at Mapes Beach to open the 2021 season. The Bruins defeated the Cardinal 3-2 in the first dual at 10:00 a.m. PT and then swept Stanford, 5-0, in the second dual at 1:30 p.m. PT. With the two victories, UCLA improved to 12-0 all-time against Stanford.

In the first dual against the Cardinal, the Bruins shook off some early season jitters to post a 3-2 win. The pairings for UCLA on all five courts for the 2021 opener were completely different than the final match of the 2020 season. Maddie Dailey and Amelia Smith put Stanford on the board first with a 21-18, 21-16 straight-set win over UCLA's Rileigh Powers and Jaden Whitmarsh on court four. But Devon Newberry and Lindsey Sparks tied the dual at 1-1, rallying from 13-10 down in the third set, to beat Xolani Hodel and Kate Reilly, 24-22, 20-22, 16-14 on court two. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead after Lexy Denaburg and Savvy Simo took down Stanford's Sunny Villapando and Charlie Ekstrom in straight sets, 21-12, 21-14 on court one. Lea Monkhouse and Maggie Walters, playing in her first collegiate dual, sealed the win for the Bruins with a 21-18, 21-18 straight-set victory on court five over the Cardinal's Jordan McKinney and Emmy Sharp. Stanford's court three duo of Maya Harvey and Maddi Kriz defeated the UCLA tandem of Megan Muret and Jacqueline Quade, 21-17, 21-19 to give Stanford its second point of the dual.

The Bruins swept the Cardinal in the second dual, 5-0. Monkhouse and Cami Sanchez put UCLA struck first with a court four win over Dailey and Smith, 21-13, 21-17. Court two's Newberry and Sparks made it 2-0 with a 21-16, 23-21 straight-set win over Ekstrom and Reilly. Muret and Quade rebounded to defeat Harvey and Kriz in straight sets, 21-19, 21-16 to clinch the dual victory for the Bruins on court three. Powers and Whitmarsh then defeated McKinney and Sharp in straight sets on court five, 21-14, 21-16 to make it 4-0. Denaburg and Simo completed the sweep with a 21-18, 21-13 straight-set win over Hodel and Villapando on court one.

The Bruins return to action on Thursday, March 4, when they visit USC to take on No. 6 Cal Poly at 10:00 a.m. PT followed by No. 4 USC at 2:30 p.m. PT at USC's Merle Norman Stadium.

No. 2 UCLA def. No. 19 Stanford, 3-2
Mapes Beach • Los Angeles, Calif.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 • 10:00 AM PT
Records: UCLA (1-0), Stanford (1-2)
1. Lexy Denaburg/Savvy Simo (UCLA) def. Charlie Ekstrom/Sunny Villapando (STAN) 21-12, 21-14
2. Devon Newberry/Lindsey Sparks (UCLA) def. Xolani Hodel/Kate Reilly (STAN) 24-22, 20-22, 16-14
3. Maya Harvey/Maddi Kriz (STAN) def. Megan Muret/Jacqueline Quade (UCLA) 21-17, 21-19
4. Maddie Dailey/Amelia Smith (STAN) def. Rileigh Powers/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) 21-18, 21-16
5. Lea Monkhouse/Maggie Walters (UCLA) def. Jordan McKinney/Emmy Sharp (STAN) 21-18, 21-18
Exh. Hannah Phair/Cami Sanchez (UCLA) def. Abby Converse/Ellie Gamberdella (STAN) 21-11, 24-22
Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 5*, 3

No. 2 UCLA def. No. 19 Stanford, 5-0
Mapes Beach • Los Angeles, Calif.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 • 1:30 PM PT
Records: UCLA (2-0), Stanford (1-3)
1. Lexy Denaburg/Savvy Simo (UCLA) def. Xolani Hodel/Sunny Villapando (STAN) 21-18, 21-13
2. Devon Newberry/Lindsey Sparks (UCLA) def. Charlie Ekstrom/Kate Reilly (STAN) 21-16, 23-21
3. Megan Muret/Jacqueline Quade (UCLA) def. Maya Harvey/Maddi Kriz (STAN) 21-19, 21-16
4. Lea Monkhouse/Cami Sanchez (UCLA) def. Maddie Dailey/Amelia Smith (STAN) 21-13, 21-17
5. Rileigh Powers/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Jordan McKinney/Emmy Sharp (STAN) 21-14, 21-16
Exh. Hannah Phair/Maggie Walters (UCLA) def. Abby Converse/Ellie Gamberdella (STAN) 21-12, 21-10
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 5, 1