Cal Sweeps Sunday Tripleheader

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA – No. 10 California beach volleyball secured three wins in a tripleheader on Sunday on the campus of Cal Poly. The Bears defeated Boise State and Southern Miss by 5-0 scorelines, before collecting a 4-1 win over No. 18 Pepperdine in the finale.
 
No. 10 Cal 5, Boise State 0
The Bears opened the SLO Invitational with a 5-0 win over Boise State, their sixth consecutive victory over the Broncos.  
 
Ana Costa and Mima Mirkovic won 21-11, 21-15 in a dominant victory on the top court. The pair of seniors controlled the action for the Bears and earned the first point of the day.
 
Maya Gessner and Natalie Martin secured the second point on court five. They fell behind early, trailing 5-6, but they responded with a 16-10 run to take control of the first set, winning 21-16. They followed that with a 21-13 win in the second set. Ella Dreibholz and Lexi McKeown secured the win for the Bears as they claimed the victory on court four. They won the first set 21-15, but the second set was a battle as they couldn't gain much separation, ultimately winning 22-20.
 
Cal claimed three-set wins on both courts three and two. On court three, Brooke Buchner and Ashley Delgado lost the first set 21-19, however they responded with a dominant second set, winning 21-9 to even the matchup. They jumped out to a 6-3 lead and were able to hold that three-point advantage until the end, winning 15-12. Ainsley Radell and Ava Mann won the first set on court two, 21-19, but fell by the opposite score in the second set. However, they recovered to win 15-8 in the third set and secure the sweep.
 
#1 - Ana Costa/Mima Mirkovic (Cal) def. Erin Martin/Yasmin Tan (BSU) - 21-11, 21-15
#2 - Ava Mann/Ainsley Radell (Cal) def. Rorianna Chartier/Sierra Land (BSU) - 21-19, 19-21, 15-8
#3 - Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. Danielle Boss/Madison Nichols (BSU) - 19-21, 21-9, 15-12
#4 - Ella Dreibholz/Lexi McKeown (Cal) def. Joey Benson/Emilia Guerra-Acuna (BSU) - 21-15, 22-20
#5 - Maya Gessner/Natalie Martin (Cal) def. Kaylee Mejia/Alyssa Wissinger (BSU) - 21-16, 21-13
Order of finish: 1,5,4,3,2
 
No. 10 Cal 5, Southern Miss 0
In the first-ever meeting between Cal and Southern Miss, the Bears came away with a 5-0 win.
 
The Bears made some lineup changes for the second matchup as Ella Sears made her collegiate debut by stepping into the top pair alongside Costa. The duo made quick work of their Golden Eagles counterparts as they won 21-17, 21-12 to earn the first point of the second match of the day.
 
Cal secured the second point on court two with a straight set win by Mann and Radell. They cruised to a 21-9 victory in the first set and backed it up with a 21-18 win in the second set. Martin and Gessner played in the fourth pair moving up from the fifth spot, and they secured a 21-12, 21-12 victory, easily winning in straight sets and clinching the match.
 
In the fifth pair, freshman Alex Young-Gomez made her debut alongside team captain Kate Bierly. Bierly was playing her second match of the season and the duo took advantage of their opportunity as they easily won 21-11, 21-12.
 
Cal had to work to secure the sweep as court three came down to the third set. Buchner and Delgado won the first set 21-18, before a back-and-forth second set saw Southern Miss win 25-23 to force the third set. The Bears trailed 8-6 in the third frame, but they were able to bounce back with a 9-5 to close the match and clinch the win.
 
#1 - Ana Costa/Ella Sears (Cal) def. Breleigh Favre/Kellie Garraway (USM) - 21-17, 21-12
#2 - Ainsley Radell/Ava Mann (Cal) def. Aleksandra Chudzik/Hallie Phelan (USM) - 21-9, 21-18
#3 - Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. Taylor Pierce/Olivia Hepworth (USM) - 21-18, 23-25, 15-13
#4 - Natalie Martin/Maya Gessner (Cal) def. Vanessa Hurnikova/Reagan Sandlin (USM) 21-12, 21-12
#5 - Kate Bierly/Alex Young-Gomez (Cal) def. Wiio Meinheit/Kaylie Beck (USM) 21-11, 21-12
Order of finish: 1,2,4,5,3
 
No. 10 Cal 4, No. 18 Pepperdine 1
The Bears recorded their third ranked win of the season as they defeated No. 18 Pepperdine, 4-1.
 
Costa and Mirkovic recorded the win on court one with a straight set victory where they outscored Pepperdine's top pair 42-26 across two sets.
 
Cal also collected a win on court four as Dreibholz and McKeown won by a 42-27 margin. They won the first set 21-13, but fell behind 9-10 in the second set. However, they closed the set on a 12-4 run to claim the second point for the Bears.
 
Cal clinched the match on court three with identical 21-18 scores across the two sets. Buchner and Delgado won for the third time on Sunday.
 
Pepperdine scored their first point on court two as they outlasted the Bears in the first set, 25-23. The Waves won the second set 21-15.
 
Cal added the fourth point on court five. Gessner and Martin dropped the first 21-18, but they fought back in the second set to win 25-23. The third set was another battle, but the Bears pulled it out 18-16.
 
#1 - Ana Costa/Mima Mirkovic (Cal) def. Madison Shields/Melanie Paul (PEP) – 21-10, 21-16
#2 - McKenna Thomas/Simone Prieb (PEP) def. Ava Mann/Ainsley Radell (Cal) – 25-23, 21-15
#3 - Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEP) – 21-18, 21-18
#4 - Ella Dreibholz/Lexi McKeown (Cal) def. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEP) – 21-13, 21-14
#5 - Maya Gessner/Natalie Martin (Cal) def. Rio Frohoff/Cameron Baklenko (PEP) – 18-21, 25-23, 18-16
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will be back in action tomorrow as they continue play in San Luis Obispo with another tripleheader. Cal plays No. 12 Cal Poly at 11:30 a.m. followed by a 1:30 p.m. match against Houston Baptist and a 3:30 p.m. tilt vs. Santa Clara.
 
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