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."
The stage is set.#GoStanford | #Pac12BVB pic.twitter.com/LNwl6F2f5l
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) April 26, 2018
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.
Cait is alllllll sorts of tricky today.
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) April 26, 2018
Example ?? pic.twitter.com/7ABnOrJ3Bb
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