SEATTLE, Wash. – No. 14 Stanford split its first day of action at the Pac-12 North Invitational, defeating Oregon, 5-0, and falling to No. 4 USC in a tight 3-2 contest.
Stanford began the day's action with a morning matchup with the Oregon Ducks.
The No. 5 pairing, Shannon Richardson and Blake Sharp, set the tone with a straight-sets win over Oregon. The duo made quick work of the Ducks, 21-5, 21-12.
Kate Formico and Catherine Raquel secured the second point for the Cardinal at the three. After defeating Oregon's Page/Johnson 21-14 in the first set, the tandem clinched its match with a decisive 21-4 decision in the second set.
Sunny Villapando and Courtney Bowen, who owned a 3-1 record as a pair coming into this weekend's duals, clinched the match for the Cardinal at the two. They turned in their own two-set victory, taking care of Oregon's Agost/Cole, 21-17, 21-10.
Stanford returned to the sand at Alki Beach to take on No. 4 USC.
USC's No. 1 pairing defeated the Cardinal duo of Morgan Hentz and Amelia Smith, 21-16, 21-11, to earn the first point of the dual. The Trojans doubled up their lead after a win at the three, where Kate Formico and Catherine Raquel fell, 21-14, 21-15.
Stanford rallied at the two, where Courtney Bowen and Sunny Villapando earned a straight-sets victory. They recorded a 21-16, 21-12 match to give the Cardinal its first point of the dual.
The Cardinal looked to even things up at the five, where Richardson and Sharp took on USC's Kremer and Belton. The duo won in straight sets, 21-16, 21-17, tying the dual at two points apiece heading into the conclusion of the No. 4 flight.
Partners Payton Chang and Caitlin Keefe began their match with a close 21-19 win in the first set. Hoping to close out the match, the duo then fell in the second set, 21-14. The duo battled through the third set, but fell to the Trojans, 15-11.
Stanford moves to 14-10 after the pair of duals. Tomorrow, the Cardinal returns to Akil Beach in Seattle to close out the Pac-12 North Invitational, and will face No. 13 California and Washington.
Full Results
No. 14 Stanford 5, Oregon 0
1. Smith/Hentz (STAN) def. Vander Weide/Raskie (UO), 12-21, 21-16, 15-12
2. Villapando/Bowen (STAN) def.. Agost/Cole (UO), 21-17, 21-10
3. Formico/Raquel (STAN) def. Page/Johnson (UO), 21-14, 21-4
4. Keefe/Chang (STAN) def. Scott/Stone (UO), 21-15, 21-12
5. Richardson/Sharp (STAN) def. Hall-Poirier/Hanawahine (UO), 21-5, 21-13
No. 4 USC 3, No. 14 Stanford 2
1. Graudina/Bustamante (USC) def. Hentz/Smith (STAN), 21-16, 21-11
2. Villapando/Bowen (STAN) def. Dennis/Dorn (USC), 21-16, 21-12
3. Cannon/Slater (USC) def. Formico/Raquel (STAN), 21-14, 21-15
4. Poletto/Hallgren (USC) def. Keefe/Chang (STAN), 19-21, 21-14, 15-11
5. Richardson/Sharp (STAN) def. Kremer/Belton (USC), 21-16, 21-17
Exh: Kernochan/Kaiser (USC) def. Anderson/Red-Horse Mohl (STAN), 21-11, 21-16
