TEMPE, Ariz. – Stanford's regular season ended with a 5-0 loss at Arizona State on Saturday at the Sun Devil Volleyball Courts.
"It was a really valuable weekend for the team to compete in the heat of Arizona and gain some familiarity with the facilities for the Pac-12 Championships," said first-year head coach Andrew Fuller. "Both Arizona and Arizona State played well and we're excited to carry the experience into next week."
The Cardinal's (21-8 overall, 3-5 Pac-12) No. 4 pair of Catherine Raquel and Shannon Richardson lost a 21-13, 21-6 decision to give Arizona State a 1-0 lead. The Sun Devils (15-14, 3-2) doubled their lead by beating Chelsea Red-Horse Mohl and Kat Anderson in the No. 5 match by a score of 21-19, 21-14.
The Sun Devils clinched the dual with a win at the No. 2 position -- Stanford's pair of Ivana Vanjak and Payton Chang lost, 21-13, 22-20. Top pair Kathryn Plummer and Jenna Gray lost, 21-15, 29-17, to make the score 4-0. No. 3 pair Morgan Hentz and Caitlin Keefe were the only pair to force a third set for the Cardinal, but lost by a score of 21-18, 18-21, 15-13 to make the final score 5-0.
"Beach volleyball venues have such individual character depending on the climate and sand depth, and it's important that our players have a much better understanding heading into the conference championships next week," added Fuller.
Next week, the Cardinal will compete in the second annual Pac-12 Conference Beach Volleyball Championships and Pac-12 Pairs Championships in Tucson on April 27-29. Coverage of all 12 matches on Thursday will begin at 9 a.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks. On Friday, the final four matches, including the championship match at 1 p.m., will be broadcast live beginning at 9 a.m. Live results will be available at GoStanford.com.
Full Results
1. Arellano/Follette (ASU) def. Plummer/Gray (Stan) 21-15, 29-27Z
2. Okaro/Berridge (ASU) def. Chang/Vanjak (Stan) 21-13, 22-20
3. Lundberg/Carballo (ASU) def. Hentz/Keefe (Stan) 21-18, 18-21, 15-13
4. Rivera/Pickrell (ASU) def. Raquel/Richardson (Stan) 21-13, 21-6
5. Braun/Cross (ASU) def. Red-Horse Mohl/Anderson (Stan) 21-19, 21-14
