STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford beach volleyball team dropped decisions against Oregon, 3-2, and Saint Mary’s, 4-1, on Sunday at the Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium.
“I felt we let an opportunity get away from us in the first match, but give Oregon credit for fighting back at the end,” said head coach Denise Corlett. “Saint Mary’s is also a very good team. The positive thing for our team is that we keep fighting to the end and will continue to find a way to win the right matches.”
The Cardinal (5-8 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) fell behind early against Oregon (2-7, 1-4), who won the first two matches. Stanford’s No. 4 pair of Courtney Bowen and Jennifer DiSanto lost their match 17-21, 21-19, 15-13, while Tami Alade and Karina Robinson dropped a 19-21, 22-20, 15-11 decision at No. 5.
Merete Lutz and Halland McKenna got Stanford back into the dual with a 21-12, 21-19 win at the No. 3 spot, their seventh win in a row as a pair.
Ivana Vanjak and Catherine Raquel continued to apply the pressure to Oregon, winning 21-16, 21-13 at the No. 2 position. The dual was decided at the No. 1 spot, where Hayley Hodson and Payton Chang fell 18-21, 22-20, 15-12, giving Oregon a 3-2 win.
The Cardinal split the first round of matches against Saint Mary’s (10-3). Alade and Robinson won a dramatic 19-21, 22-20, 15-11 decision at No. 5, with Alexis Froistad and DiSanto losing 21-14, 21-15 at No. 4.
Tami Alade goes nuts after she and Karina Robinson win their third set and tie the dual 1-1 against St. Mary's. pic.twitter.com/fArjbaFq6T
— Stanford Beach VB (@StanfordBeachVB) April 10, 2016
Lutz and McKenna’s impressive winning streak was halted in the No. 3 match, losing 21-13, 22-20, while Vanjak and Raquel fell 21-11, 21-14 at No. 2. Saint Mary’s added a win at the No. 1 spot to make the final score 4-1, defeating Hodson and Chang 24-22, 21-10.
Stanford returns to the sand on Thursday, facing San Jose State and Santa Clara in duals at the Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium. This will be the Cardinal’s final action of the regular season, with the Pac-12 Conference Championship set for April 28 in Los Angeles.
Results
Oregon 3, Stanford 2
1. Nady/Brenner (Oregon) def. Hodson/Chang (Stan) 18-21, 22-20, 15-12
2. Vanjak/Raquel (Stan) def. Agost/Bettendorf (Oregon) 21-16, 21-13
3. Lutz/McKenna (Stan) def. Benson/Vander Weide (Oregon) 21-12, 21-19
4. Page/Frank (Oregon) def. Bowen/DiSanto (Stan) 17-21, 21-19, 15-13
5. McLaren/Raskie (Oregon) def. Alade/Robinson (Stan) 19-21, 22-20, 15-11
Saint Mary’s 4, Stanford 1
1. Dodd/Knudsen (SMC) def. Hodson/Chang (Stan) 24-22, 21-10
2. Rund/Hernandez (SMC) def. Vanjak/Raquel (Stan) 21-11, 21-14
3. Wilkerson/Salmons (SMC) def. Lutz/McKenna (Stan) 21-13, 22-20
4. Bible/Calvin (SMC) def. Froistad/DiSanto (Stan) 21-14, 21-15
5. Alade/Robinson (Stan) def. Lissera/O’Sullivan (SMC) 19-21, 23-21, 15-9