Cal Splits Top-10 Matchups Against Hawaii, TCU

MANOA, HAWAII – No. 10 California beach volleyball avenged an earlier defeat and beat No. 9 Hawaii, 3-2, to advance to the finals of the Outrigger Queen's Cup. However, the Bears fell to No. 3 TCU, 4-1, in the championship match at Queen's Beach on a busy Saturday in Hawaii.

Ana Costa was named Best Attacker for the tournament for her play across the six matches over the past three days. 
 
#10 Cal 3, #9 Hawaii 2
After meeting each other on Thursday, No. 10 Cal and No. 9 Hawaii played a rematch that ended exactly the opposite of what transpired two days prior. In the original matchup the Bears lost on courts two, three and five. Today, those courts propelled the Bears to victory.
 
Hawaii scored the first point of the match on court four with a straight set win to take the lead. However, the Bears finished the first wave tied as Ainsley Radell and Ava Mann captured the point on court two. After losing the first set to Hawaii's Riley Wagoner and Kylin Loker last time, 27-25, the Bears jumped in front and won the first set 21-16. However, the two pairs were destined for another back-and-forth set as Hawaii pulled out the second set 28-26 as neither team could gain much separation from the other. That changed in the third as Cal was able to win 15-12 to even the match.
 
The Bears took the lead on the fifth court as Maya Gessner and Natalie Martin secured a straight set win. It was a tightly contested first set as Hawaii led 11-10 at the technical timeout, but the Bears triumphed in the second half of the set to win 21-19. They would go on to win the second set 21-17 and earn the point.
 
Cal claimed the match on court three as Brooke Buchner and Ashley Delgado avenged their defeat from two days prior against Jaime Santer and Megan Widener. The Bears won the first set 21-17, but fell in a tightly contested second set, 20-22. The match was poised at 8-8 in the third set. However, that's when Delgado and Buchner went on their run, as they closed the match on a 7-2 spurt to clinch the point and the dual. Hawaii won the point on court one as the Bears withdrew after an injury.
 
#1 - Brooke Van Sickle/Kaylee Glagau (UH) def. Mima Mirkovic/Ana Costa (Cal) –  21-14, 14-7 (unf.)
#2 - Ainsley Radell/Ava Mann (Cal) def. Riley Wagoner/Kylin Loker (UH) – 21-16, 26-28, 15-12
#3 - Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. Jaime Santer/Megan Widener (UH) – 21-17, 20-22, 15-10
#4 - Anna Maidment/Sofia Russo (UH) def. Lexi McKeown/Ella Dreibholz (Cal)– 21-12, 21-18
#5 - Maya Gessner/Natalie Martin (Cal) def. Sarah Penner/Ilihia Huddleston (UH) – 21-19, 21-17
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1
 
#10 Cal 4, #3 TCU 1
In the championship match of the Outrigger Queen's Cup, Cal fell in a tight contest against undefeated and third-ranked TCU.
 
TCU picked up the first point on court two as Sutton McTavish and Kaylie McHugh secured a straight set victory, 21-9, 21-14. The Bears responded on court four as Dreibholz and McKeown secured their fourth win of the weekend. The Cal duo won the first set 21-16 and was down 10-11 at the technical, but TCU closed well in the second set to win and force a third. The Cal duo responded with an excellent run in the third set as they scored 10 of the final 16 points in claiming the victory and evening the match.
 
The Horned Frogs retook the lead on court five with a straight set win by Rochelle Scott and Megan Muret, 21-13, 21-16. TCU secured the match on the first pair as they won 21-17, 21-13. On court three, the Bears held a 19-16 lead in the first set, but TCU came back to win 25-23 and followed that with a 21-18 win in the second set to notch the fourth point for the Horned Frogs.
 
#1 - Daniela Alvarez/Tania Moreno (TCU) def. Mima Mirkovic/Ana Costa (Cal) –21-17, 21-13
#2 - Sutton McTavish/Kaylie McHugh (TCU) def. Ainsley Radell/Ava Mann (Cal) – 21-9, 21-14
#3 - Alexis Filippone/Hailey Brockett (TCU) def. Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) – 25-23, 21-18
#4 - Lexi McKeown/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. Maria Gonzalez/Ana Vergara (TCU) – 21-16, 14-21, 15-11
#5 - Rochelle Scott/Megan Muret (TCU) def. Maya Gessner/Natalie Martin (Cal) – 21-13, 21-16
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 1, 3
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will return to the mainland and travel to San Luis Obispo for their next tournament. Cal will face off with six teams in two days at the Cal Poly Invitational on Sunday and Monday next week. The Bears will play Boise State, Southern Miss and Pepperdine on Sunday, March 20. Then they will take on Cal Poly, Houston Baptist and Santa Clara on Monday, March 21.
 
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