PHOENIX, Ariz. – With its highest ranking in school history at No. 7, Stanford beach volleyball saw its school-record, 13-match winning streak come to an end on Saturday at the Pac-12 North Invitational, hosted by Arizona State on the campus of Grand Canyon University. The Cardinal was defeated by No. 12 Arizona in its first match of the day before a setback against No. 1 UCLA on Saturday afternoon.
During the 13-match winning streak, Stanford defeated five ranked opponents, including four in the Top 10. Those wins came over No. 5 Cal Poly, No. 6 Hawai'i, No. 8 Grand Canyon, No. 9 Cal and No. 14 Arizona. The Cardinal also defeated No. 16 Long Beach State during the season's opening weekend back in February.
Despite the two losses on Saturday, the Cardinal is now 14-5 on the season and has an excellent opportunity to bounce back on Sunday. Stanford takes on No. 2 USC at 11:30 a.m. before concluding the Pac-12 North event with a 3:15 p.m. showdown against No. 11 Cal.
No. 12 Arizona 3, No. 7 Stanford 2
Flight #1: Alex Parkhurst/Alana Rennie (Arizona) def. Charlie Ekstrom/Sunny Villapando (Stanford) 21-19, 21-15
Flight #2: Sarah Blacker/Brooke Burling (Arizona) def. Xolani Hodel/Kate Reilly (Stanford) 21-19, 21-15
Flight #3: Maya Harvey/Maddi Kriz (Stanford) def. Natalie Anselmo/Carly Lowry (Arizona) 21-19, 13-21, 15-12
Flight #4: Mady Noble/Dana Parker (Arizona) def. Maddie Dailey/Jordan McKinney (Stanford) 21-13, 21-14
Flight #5: Emmy Sharp/Amelia Smith (Stanford) def. Olivia Hallaran/Hope Shannon (Arizona) 17-21, 21-14, 15-5
Order of finish: 4, 1, 2, 5, 3
No. 1 UCLA 4, No. 7 Stanford 1
Flight #1: Lexy Denaburg/Savvy Simo (UCLA) def. Charlie Ekstrom/Sunny Villapando (Stanford) 21-17, 21-14
Flight #2: Lea Monkhouse/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Xolani Hodel/Kate Reilly (Stanford) 22-20, 21-13
Flight #3: Maya Harvey/Maddi Kriz (Stanford) def. Devon Newberry/Lindsey Sparks (UCLA) 22-20, 16-21, 16-14
Flight #4: Megan Muret/Jacqueline Quade (UCLA) def. Maddie Dailey/Jordan McKinney (Stanford) 12-21, 21-12, 15-5
Flight #5: Rileigh Powers/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Emmy Sharp/Amelia Smith (Stanford) 21-18, 17-21, 15-12
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4, 5, 3