STANFORD, Calif. – The Cardinal opened play at the Stanford West Coast Classic with a close 3-2 loss to No. 5 Cal Poly, then bounced back to defeat Pacific, 4-1, Saturday at Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium.
"We took on two teams today who play very differently and stretched our awareness of how we're able to compete," said second-year head coach Andrew Fuller. "Every time we play someone who has a different style than us, it's a really good chance to grow as a team."
No. 13 Stanford kicked off the action at Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium in a matchup with No. 5 Cal Poly. The Mustangs took the first point in straight sets with a win at the No. 5 pairing, 21-15, 23-21.
At the No. 4 flight, Payton Chang and Caitlin Keefe, playing together for the first time, opened with a first-set win, 21-16. Cal Poly took the next two sets in close contests, 21-19, 15-11, to earn its second point on the dual.
The third flight, with Stanford's Kate Formico and Catherine Raquel, featured two marathon sets. Cal Poly outlasted the Cardinal in the first, 32-20. Stanford rallied back, earning a 23-21 win in the second set. The Mustangs took the third set, 15-11, to clinch the dual.
Stanford looked to bounce back when it faced Pacific in the afternoon.
Shannon Richardson and Blake Sharp did just that as the No. 5 pairing. After suffering a 21-18 loss in the first set, the duo rallied to win the next two sets, 25-23, 15-13, securing the first point of the match for the Cardinal.
Stanford's No. 4 pairing followed suit, as Chang and Keefe turned in their own three-set victory. The tandem split 21-19 sets through the first two matches, then won a thrilling third set, 18-16, over Pacific.
With the Pacific taking the No. 3 flight in two sets, it was up to the No. 2 pairing of Courtney Bowen and Sunny Villapando to clinch the dual for Stanford.
The pair made quick work of the Tigers, earning the clinching point for Stanford in a straight-sets victory.
No. 1 pair, Morgan Hentz and Amelia Smith, closed out the afternoon with their own straight-sets victory, 21-18, 21-15.
Stanford returns tomorrow for the second day of the West Coast Classic, hosting No. 20 Saint Mary's at noon PT and No. 1 UCLA at 3 p.m. PT. Both matches will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.
Full Results
No. 5 Cal Poly 3, No. 13 Stanford 2
1) Hentz/Smith (STAN) def. Miric/T. Van Winden (CP): 21-0, 21-0 (CP MEDICAL FORFEIT)
2) Bowen/Villapando (STAN) def. Manley/Sonny (CP): 21-19, 19-21, 15-12
3) Nelson/A. Van Winden (CP) def. Formico/Raquel (STAN): 32-30, 21-23, 15-11
4) Gordon/Greisen (CP) def. Chang/Keefe (STAN): 16-21, 21-19, 15-11
5) Hubbard/Pembroke (CP) def. Richardson/Sharp (STAN): 21-15, 23-21
Exh.) Greenwald/Stivers (CP) def. Anderson/Red-Horse Mohl (STAN): 21-10, 21-11
No. 13 Stanford 4, Pacific 1
1) Hentz/Smith (STAN) def. Shelton/Wine (UOP): 21-18, 21-15
2) Bowen/Villapando (STAN) def. Lines/Long (UOP): 21-11, 21-14
3) Gotterba/Holt (UOP) def. Formico/Raquel (STAN): 19-21, 26-24, 18-16
4) Chang/Keefe (STAN) def. Baptista/LaBass (UOP): 21-19, 21-19, 18-16
5) Richardson/Sharp (STAN) def. Fleming/Poncetta (UOP): 18-21, 25-23, 15-13
Exh.) De Schrijver/Petnicki (UOP) def. Anderson/Red-Horse Mohl (STAN): 21-17, 21-10