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Beach Volleyball

Card Advances Past Arizona

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STANFORD, Calif. – No. 4 seed Stanford defeated No. 5 seed Arizona, 4-1, to advance to the next round of the Pac-12 Championship Thursday.
 
"Today's dual was a battle against an Arizona team that is playing at a high level," said second-year head coach Andrew Fuller. "I loved our team's response to the adversity we faced early on."
 

 
Stanford faced Arizona for the third time this season on Thursday, looking to complete a season sweep of the Wildcats.
 
The Cardinal began the afternoon in matches at the four and five pairs. Arizona took the first lead of the dual on a straight-sets win at the five, defeating Stanford's Shannon Richardson and Blake Sharp, 21-15, 21-17.
 
Stanford evened the match with a win at the four. Caitlin Keefe and Payton Chang used creative play to earn their own two-set win, 22-20, 21-16.
 

 
The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Cardinal flights then took the court with the match tied at 1-1.
 
Stanford's No. 2 pair, Morgan Hentz and Amelia Smith, gave Stanford the advantage with a 21-18, 21-19 win.
 
Both the Nos. 1 and 3 flights played to a third set, but it was Kate Formico and Catherine Raquel, Stanford's No. 3 pair, who clinched the dual victory for the Cardinal. The duo rallied to a 15-7 win in their third set.
 
"Tomorrow's duel against UCLA will be fun," Fuller added. "The complexion of our team has changed a little since we last played the Bruins, and I think many of our players are fresh and improving as the season goes along."
 
Stanford advances to the next round of the Pac-12 Championship, which the Cardinal is hosting at Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium this week. The Cardinal will take on top-seeded UCLA at 1:15 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Network for the right to play in the semifinal on Saturday.
  
Full Results
 
#4 Stanford def. #5 Arizona, 4-1
1. Courtney Bowen/Sunny Villapando (STAN) def. Natalie Anselmo/Olivia Macdonald (ARIZ) 18-21, 21-13, 15-11
2. Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) def. Kacey Nady/Olivia Hallaran (ARIZ) 21-18, 21-19
3. Kate Formico/Catherine Raquel (STAN) def. Hailey Devlin/Stephany Purdue (ARIZ) 21-18, 16-21, 15-7
4. Caitlin Keefe/Payton Chang (STAN) def. Brooke Burling/Jonny Baham (ARIZ) 22-20, 21-16
5. Carolina Cordes/Makenna Martin (ARIZ) def. Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN) 21-15, 21-17
Order of finish: 5, 4, 2, 3*, 1