STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's Pac-12 campaign came to an end Friday night, with the fourth-seeded Cardinal falling, 4-1, to sixth-seeded Washington at Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium.
"The team fought really hard down the stretch against UW, and that's emblematic of what we want in our program," said head coach Andrew Fuller.
The Cardinal began the day in the Winners Bracket with its match against UCLA, the top-ranked team in the country and the top seed in the Pac-12 Championship.
UCLA struck first, winning the match at the five. Shannon Richardson and Blake Sharp couldn't keep pace with the Bruins, dropping the match, 21-14, 21-14.
The Bruins then took a 2-0 lead with a straight-set win at the four. Stanford's Payton Chang and Caitlin Keefe hung close early in each set, but couldn't keep up with UCLA, falling 21-15, 21-13.
Similar to the first two matches, Courtney Bowen and Sunny Villapando were within striking distance often, but fell in straight sets to the Bruins at the one. The duo dropped its match to UCLA's McNamara/McNamara, 21-12, 21-13, allowing the Bruins to clinch the match, 3-0.
Another opportunity on deck.
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) April 28, 2018
Let's do it. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/xIY2xenhCJ
After moving to the Contenders Bracket, Stanford took on No. 6 seed Washington to keep its Pac-12 Championship hopes alive.
The Huskies jumped to an early 2-0 lead with quick wins at the four and five positions. The Cardinal turned to their No. 1 pairing of Courtney Bowen and Sunny Villapando to keep the dual alive.
The duo responded, grinding out a 21-9 win in the first set over the Huskies.
Sun and Court are cookin!
— Stanford Beach Volleyball (@StanfordBeachVB) April 28, 2018
They take the first set, 21-19, thanks to plays like this one:
??: @Pac12Network | #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/QBSzLSTRRZ
After trailing early in the second set, the Cardinal couple battled back and secured a win in the second set, 23-21. This gave Stanford its much-needed first point of the dual.
Stanford's hopes shifted to the second and third flights, which both went to decisive third sets.
Senior Catherine Raquel and freshman Kate Formico forced a third set at the three after earning a 21-16 comeback win.
"Cat has been a foundational student-athlete for this program," said Fuller of his lone senior. "She's been here since the beginning and has seen many different stages, ultimately pushing it to new heights each year."
Morgan Hentz and Amelia Smith dropped their third set, in a hard-fought effort, 15-10. That gave Washington its clinching third point of the dual, securing the team's spot in the next round Saturday.
Stanford's record moves to 17-13, its highest win total in program history.
"We have a special group of young women and we love what we are building at Stanford," Fuller added.
Full Results:
#1 UCLA def. #4 STANFORD, 5-0
1. Nicole McNamara/Megan McNamara (UCLA) def. Courtney Bowen/Sunny Villapando (STAN) 21-12, 21-13
2. Lily Justine/Sarah Sponcil (UCLA) def. Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) 21-19, 21-16
3. Savvy Simo/Madi Yeomans (UCLA) def. Kate Formico/Catherine Raquel (STAN) 21-15, 21-10
4. Elise Zappia/Mac May (UCLA) def. Caitlin Keefe/Payton Chang (STAN) 21-15, 21-13
5. Izzy Carey/Megan Muret (UCLA) def. Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN) 21-14, 21-14
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1*, 3, 2
#6 WASHINGTON def. #4 STANFORD, 4-1
1. Courtney Bowen/Sunny Villapando (STAN) d. Jordan Anderson/Kimmy Gardiner (WASH), 21-19, 23-21
2. Courtney Schwan/Destiny Julye (WASH) def. Morgan Hentz/Amelia Smith (STAN) 19-21, 21-16, 15-10
3. Carly Dehoog/Shayne McPherson (WASH) d. Kate Formico/Catherine Raquel (STAN) 26-24, 16-21, 15-11
4. Anna Crabtree/Kara Bajema (WASH) def. Caitlin Keefe/Payton Chang (STAN), 21-11, 21-17
5. Natalie Robinson/Sam Drecshel (WASH) def. Shannon Richardson/Blake Sharp (STAN), 21-16, 21-14
Order of finish: 5,4,1,2*,3