STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford beach volleyball earned its sixth-straight win with a 4-1 victory over No. 18 Tulane Friday, the first day of the Stanford Invitational. It was the team's first win against a ranked opponent this season.
The Cardinal's Nos. 4 and 5 pairings set the tone for their teammates early. No. 5 Kat Anderson and Caitlin Keefe took care of business, winning in straight sets, 21-13, 21-11. Their performance was followed by a similar two-set victory by No. 4 Payton Chang and Catherine Raquel, who defeated Tulane's Briana Correa and Lauren Orlich, 21-13, 21-12.
Tulane responded with a hard-fought first set win at the No. 3 flight, winning 21-18 over Stanford's Courtney Bowen and Kate Formico. The Cardinal duo then rallied back to take the next two sets and the dual, 21-14, 15-10.
After Morgan Hentz and Amelia Smith turned in a pair of 21-19 set wins, the Cardinal had a 4-0 lead over Tulane on the dual.
Hentz/Smith take their first set 21-19 thanks to some nifty plays like this one ?? #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/IMSmmcwHdZ
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) March 10, 2018
No. 1 Kathryn Plummer and Sunny Villapando closed out the action in a tightly contested three-set match, ultimately dropping Stanford's only flight of the afternoon, 19-21, 21-18, 12-15.
Stanford returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Boise State at 11:30 a.m. PT and Arizona State at 2:30 p.m. PT as part of the Stanford Invitational. Both games will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.
Full Results
Stanford 4, Tulane 1
1) Kaylie McHugh/Madline Mertz (TU) def. Plummer/Villapando (STAN), 21-19, 18-21, 15-12
2) Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) def. Ashley Delgado/Gabriella Becerra (TU), 21-19, 21-19
3) Courtney Bowen/Kate Formico (STAN) def. Tarin Mergener/Lan Nguyen (TU), 18-21, 21-14, 15-10
4) Payton Chang/Catherine Raquel (STAN) def. Gabriella Becerra/Anna Chin (TU), 21-13, 21-12
5) Kat Anderson/Caitlin Keefe (STAN) def. Briana Correa/Lauren Olrich (TU), 21-13, 21-11
Exh.) Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN) def. Kendyl Brennan/Carleigh Semeniuk (TU), 21-18, 15-21, 15-9