Beach Dawgs Push No. 11 Bears In 3-2 Loss

TUCSON, Ariz. – In its first dual matches of the season, taking on opponents that had played at least seven matches to date, the Husky beach volleyball team showed poise and promise but came up just short of the win column today at the Pac-12 South Invitational, hosted by Arizona.
 
Washington first had a 4-1 loss to Arizona State, with the final two matches won by ASU in third sets. The Huskies then had 11th-ranked California on the ropes with three first set wins, but Cal came back to win one of the three in a third set to pull out a 3-2 win over the Dawgs.
 
In the match against the Golden Bears, the Huskies got great efforts from the lower half of their lineup, all teams that had zero dual match experience coming into today. At No. 4, Avie Niece and Hannah Yerex scored the first point of the match with a 21-10, 21-13 win over Cal's Smoot/Buchner. Kyra Petersen and Ashley Shook got their first dual win over a couple very experienced Bears with a 21-16, 9-21, 15-10 win against Inman/Micheletti.
 
At No. 5, Cassidy Schilling and Callie Weber had a 21-16 first set win over Gettings/Paulson but the Cal team came back to win 21-14 and 15-9 for the clinching point.
 
Cal had a 21-17, 21-12 win at No. 1 against Shayne McPherson and Chloe Loreen and Cal's Polo/Radell defeated Natalie Robinson and Scarlett Dahl, 21-9, 21-19, at No. 2.
 
Earlier in the day against the Sun Devils, McPherson and Loreen dominated their No. 2 match against Anderson/Sochacka, 21-7, 21-16 to get UW on the board. ASU had straight set wins at No. 3 and No. 5 to make it 2-1.
 
The final two matches then headed into third sets with the Huskies needing to win both. But ASU was able to pull away at No. 4, with Fitzgerald/Ames getting the better of Niece and Yerex playing their first ever match together, 20-22, 21-19, 15-7. Then the final point at No. 1 was earned by ASU's Carballo/Sweeney in a tough 15-13 match over Robinson/Dahl, after the Husky pair had several match points in the second set before dropping it 27-25.
 
Washington will be back for two more duals on Sunday, first against Utah at 9 a.m. Pacific time and then against 18th-ranked Stanford at 3:15 p.m. Pacific. Both matches will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
 
 
Washington Beach Volleyball
March 27, 2021
Pac-12 South Tournament | Tucson, Ariz.
Bear Down Beach
 
Match 1
 
Washington – 1
Arizona State – 4
 
1. Carballo/Sweeney (ASU) def. Robinson/Dahl (UW) – 19-21, 27-25, 15-13
2. McPherson/Loreen (UW) def. Anderson/Sochacka (ASU) – 21-7, 21-16
3. Waters/Flood (ASU) def. Petersen/Shook (UW) – 21-14, 21-18
4. Fitzgerald/Ames (ASU) def. Niece/Yerex (UW) – 20-22, 21-19, 15-7
5. Plaster/Bordis (ASU) def. Schilling/Weber (UW) – 21-15, 21-15
Order of Finish: 2, 5, 3, 4, 1
 
 
Match 2
 
Washington – 2
No. 11 California – 3
 
1. Schafer/Mirkovic (Cal) def. McPherson/Loreen (UW) – 21-17, 21-12
2. Polo/Radell (Cal) def. Robinson/Dahl (UW) – 21-9, 21-19
3. Petersen/Shook (UW) def. Inman/Micheletti (Cal) – 21-16, 9-21, 15-10
4. Niece/Yerex (UW) def. Smoot/Buchner (Cal) – 21-10, 21-13
5. Gettings/Paulson (Cal) def. Schilling/Weber (UW) – 16-21, 21-14, 15-9
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 5, 3