Hey Stanford Fans!
Can you believe we've already wrapped up the regular season?! We headed across the bay last weekend for our dual against Cal, which we call the "Big Spike." Because Saturday was also Cal Day, the Cal Beach Volleyball program hosted a Big Spike Picnic for fans. The picnic included a live DJ, food truck, games, and silent auction, so there were plenty of Cal families, students, and supporters there, which created a really fun environment for us to play in for our last match of the regular season.
We actually finished our season during my freshman year with a dual at Cal, so being there again this season for my last game before the post-season gave me a sense of déjà vu and really brought everything full circle.
Cal began the dual by honoring their seniors, and was kind enough to recognize me as well. They gave me a red rose, which was incredibly sweet. My senior day was during our first home weekend this season, so it was nice to get another mini senior day recognition closer to the end of season.
Our 4s and 5s pairs played first, eventually falling after some long and hard-fought sets, which put us in a 0-2 hole going into the second flight of matches. Kate and I were able to get a win at the 3, putting us at 1-2 heading into the third and final flight. Our 2s pair won their match, but our 1s lost in a tight match, and we eventually fell, 3-2.
Stanford battles, but falls to Cal in Berkeley.
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) April 21, 2018
Pac-12 Championship on The Farm up next.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/NGZtby8td3
Saturday's match was also Kate's 19th birthday, so we sang to her after the game and ate some delicious bundt cakes.
Because of the loss to Cal, we ended up as the 4th seed going into Pac-12 Championship this week. Although we wish that the result had ended in our favor, we are ready to learn from our loss and shift our focus to this week. As Coach Andrew says, it is never too late in the season to keep learning and improving.
What's to love about the Pac-12 Championship?
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) April 25, 2018
?? The weather
?? The top-class venue
?? The excellent competition
?? Free admission
?? All of the above
See you on The Farm.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/yFnE5t7eZj
We are so thrilled to host this year's Pac-12 Championship at our gorgeous stadium, which is indisputably one of the most beautiful beach volleyball stadiums in the nation. Instead of letting last weekend's setback discourage us, we plan to let it fuel us to attack this week of Pac 12's with renewed vigor. I think Morgan Hentz summed it up perfectly when she told us to "Play like an underdog with the confidence of a champion." Our conference is highly competitive and there is so much more parity between the teams this year than in previous years, so we are all extremely motivated and eager to compete this week and finish our season strong.
Our first match is this Thursday at 1:15 p.m. against Arizona, and we hope to see you there! Go Cardinal!