STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford turned in a strong showing on the first day of the Stanford Bay Area kickoff, defeating Saint Mary's, 5-0, and San Francisco, 4-1.
"We were quite pleased with the way our team supported each other in some tough conditions against two solid teams from Saint Mary's and USF," said head coach Andrew Fuller. "Those programs are well coached, athletic and competitive, and we relish the chances to compete against high-level competition at home."
No. 5 pairing Kat Anderson and Caitlin Keefe started the day with a victory in straight sets over Saint Mary's, 21-17, 21-15. That was followed by a straight-set win at the four by Payton Chang and Catherine Raquel, 21-16, 21-15.
In the No. 3 match, junior Courtney Bowen and freshman Kate Formico began the contest with a decisive 21-10 first-set win before dropping the second set in a 21-19 decision. They won their third set, 15-13, to give Stanford the match win over San Francisco.
No. 1 pairing Kathryn Plummer and Sunny Villapando started off the action for Stanford against San Francisco, earning an early two-set win, 21-14, 21-8. The win over the Dons was the pair's fourth straight, having defeated UCLA, Hawai'i, and Saint Mary's prior.
It's good to be home ??#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/6jocMdzVvq
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) March 2, 2018
The No. 2 pairing of Morgan Hentz and Amelia Smith completed their match shortly thereafter. They turned in a 21-17, 21-12 victory to give the Cardinal a quick 2-0 lead on the match over San Francisco.
Stanford's No. 5 pairing, consisting of Kat Anderson and Payton Chang, was up next. It was the duo's first match as a team this season. After winning the first set handily, 21-10, the pair trailed 12-9 in the second set before coming back to take the set and match, 21-14.
Senior Catherine Raquel and Sophomore Caitlin Keefe won their first match as a pairing, 21-18, 24-22, to give Stanford a 4-0 lead over the Dons. The No. 4 pairing of Courtney Bowen and Kate Formico dropped a three-setter to end the match 4-1.
Card takes the second match over USF!
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) March 3, 2018
Back at it tomorrow for Day 2.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/0aY9sLod2a
Stanford returns to action on Saturday for Day Two of the Stanford Bay Area Kickoff when they host Sacramento State at 12 p.m. PT and Pacific at 3 p.m. PT. The program will also recognize its lone senior, Catherine Raquel, prior to the match against Pacific.
"We are looking forward to celebrating Cat Raquel's senior day tomorrow before our match against Pacific and appreciate all of her efforts in creating a culture at Stanford that she can be proud of," Fuller added.
Full Results
Stanford 5, Saint Mary's 0
1) Kathryn Plummer/Sunny Villapando (STAN) d. Morgan Hughes/Payton Rund (SMC) 21-17, 20-22, 18-16
2) Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) d. Emily Bible/Lindsey Knudsen (SMC) 22-20, 21-15
3) Courtney Bowen/Kate Formico (STAN) d. Sarah Chase/Mary Hernandez (SMC) 21-10, 19-21, 15-13
4) Payton Chang/Catherine Raquel (STAN) d. Madi Wilkerson/Sienna Young (SMC) 21-16, 21-15
5) Kat Anderson/Caitlin Keefe (STAN) d. Kelsey Knudsen/Jennifer Laird (SMC) 21-12, 21-15
EXH.) Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN) d. Morgan Kendrick/Alex O'Sullivan (SMC) 21-17, 21-15
Stanford 4, San Francisco 1
1) Kathryn Plummer/Sunny Villapando (STAN) d. Haley Howell/Carly Lowry (USF) 21-14, 21-8
2) Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) d. Anna Dalla Vecchia/Julia Topor (USF) 21-17, 21-12
3) Camille Araujo/Nora Buvarp Lavik (USF) d. Courtney Bowen/Kate Formico (STAN) 11-21, 21-6, 15-12
4) Caitlin Keefe/Catherine Raquel (STAN) d. Sabrina Blackwell/Laura Leap (USF) 21-18, 24-22
5) Kat Anderson/Payton Chang (STAN) d. Pi'ikea Clemens/Shannon Levinson (USF) 21-10, 21-14
EXH.) Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN) d. Trish Koutsoukos/Emily Zinger (USF) 21-12, 21-10