No. 11 Cal Drops Doubleheader In Arizona
PHOENIX – No. 11 California beach volleyball lost both matches of a doubleheader on the campus of Grand Canyon University as they fell to No. 2 USC and Arizona State on the opening day of the Pac-12 North Invitational.
The Bears will be back in action tomorrow as they take on Arizona at 10:15 a.m. and Stanford at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday in Phoenix.
USC 5, CAL 0
Cal fought hard in the first match of the Pac-12 North Tournament, but the Bears ultimately fell to No. 2 USC, 5-0.
The first set came down to the wire on both the first and third courts as the Bears competed with the Trojans. Alexia Inman and Grace Paulson were paired together on court three. The duo was tied up at 16 in the first set, but was unable to close out the match as they fell, 21-18. USC picked up the win in the second set, 21-13.
On court one, Mima Mirkovic and Caroline Schafer battled through a tough first set, but USC was able to pull out a 21-17 win before taking a 21-12 victory in set two.
ASU 3, CAL 2
The second match of the day came down to the very last point of the deciding court. The Sun Devils and Bears fought through an afternoon heat in Phoenix and found themselves in a tied match after four courts were completed.
Arizona State won on court four to earn the first point of the afternoon. Ainsley Radell and Jordan Polo responded on court two to even the match. The Bears' produced an emphatic 21-10, 21-14 victory to rebound from their earlier defeat.
The Sun Devils again took the lead as they pulled out a victory on the top court. Katelyn Carballo and Lexi Sweeney were able to outlast the Cal duo of Mirkovic and Schafer, winning 21-19, 21-17. However, that was just the beginning of the drama as the final two matches both went five sets.
Brooke Buchner and Ava Mann continued their fine form as they were able to pull out the match on court five. The freshman duo lost the first set 21-11, but they responded over the next two sets to take control of the match, winning 21-15 in the second set and closing out the match with a 15-8 win in set three. They have now won four of their past five matchups as a pair, with the lone loss coming to USC earlier in the day.
The match came down to court three after the first four courts produced a deadlock. Inman and Paulson won a hard fought first set, 21-18. They gave up the advantage in set two as they fell 21-12. The third set came down to the wire, but ASU was able to pull out a 15-12 advantage to win the court and the dual.
USC 5, CAL 0
#1 – Julia Scoles/Sammy Slater (USC) def. Mima Mirkovic/Caroline Schafer (CAL) – 21-17, 21-12
#2 – Tina Graudina/Megan Kraft (USC) def. Ainsley Radell/Jordan Polo (CAL) – 21-9, 21-13
#3 – Hailey Harward/Haley Hallgren (USC) def. Alexia Inman/Grace Paulson (CAL) – 21-18, 21-13
#4 – Joy Dennis/Delaynie Maple (USC) def. Kate Bierly/Maya Gessner (CAL) – 21-10, 21-10
#5 – Audrey Nourse/Nicole Nourse (USC) def. Brooke Buchner/Ava Mann (CAL) – 21-13, 21-10
Order of Finish – 4, 5, 2, 3, 1
ASU 3, CAL 2
#1 – Katelyn Carballo/Lexi Sweeney (ASU) def. Mima Mirkovic/Caroline Schafer (CAL) – 21-19, 21-17
#2 – Ainsley Radell/Jordan Polo (CAL) def. Emily Anderson/Kate Fitzgerald (ASU) – 21-10, 21-14
#3 – Cierra Flood/Sarah Waters (ASU) def. Alexia Inman/Grace Paulson (CAL) – 18-21, 21-12, 15-12
#4 – Lila Bordis/Samantha Plaster (ASU) def. Kate Bierly/Maya Gessner (CAL) – 21-17, 21-10
#5 – Brooke Buchner/Ava Mann (CAL) def. Taryn Ames/Maddy Salazar (ASU) – 11-21, 21-15, 15-8
Order of Finish – 4, 2, 1, 5, 3