History On The Sand

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 11 Stanford beach volleyball made history on the sand on Sunday, recording two 5-0 sweeps to win its program-record 19th and 20th games of the season.
 
The Cardinal, whose previous school record for wins in a season was 17, has now picked up nine wins over teams in the Top 20 at the time of meeting. Stanford has wins over No. 5 Cal Poly, No. 6 Hawaii, No. 8 Grand Canyon (twice), No. 9 Cal, No. 11 Pepperdine, No. 12 Cal, No. 14 Arizona and No. 16 Long Beach State. Each of Stanford's nine losses have been against ranked opponents.
 
Before the second match on Sunday, seniors Amelia Smith and Sunny Villapando were honored, alongside 2020 seniors Kat Anderson, Chelsea Red-Horse Mohl and Shannon Richardson.
 
Villapando owns the school record with 64 career wins, while Smith is second with 55. Junior Maddie Dailey is now tied for fifth in program history with 38 career victories.
 
This weekend, head coach Andrew Fuller debuted new pairs at the No. 2 and 3 spots. Charlie Ekstrom and Maya Harvey played together at No. 3 on Saturday against LMU before moving to the No. 2 spot on Sunday and earning two wins. Maddi Kriz and Kate Reilly played together at No. 2 on Saturday before dropping to No. 3 on Sunday and sweeping their opponents in straight sets.
 
At the No. 4 spot, Smith and freshman Emmy Sharp are 16-2 overall and winners of 10 straight matches. The duo's 16 wins are the second most for a pair in school history, behind only Smith and Morgan Hentz's 18 in 2018. Kriz and Harvey (16-7) have also won 16 matches together this season.
 
Four Cardinal have won 19 matches individually this season: Xolani Hodel, Kriz, Smith and Villapando. Those four are tied for the third-most individual wins in a single season, behind Villapando and Courtney Bowen's 23 wins in 2018.
 
Three more Cardinal – Dailey, Harvey and Sharp – have won 18 matches this season as individuals.
 
Stanford (20-9) now turns its attention to the 2021 Pac-12 Championships, which begin on Thursday at UCLA's Sunset Canyon.
 
No. 11 Stanford 5, No. 8 Grand Canyon 0
Flight #1: Xolani Hodel/Sunny Villapando (Stanford) def. Bella Bauman/Anaya Evans (Grand Canyon) 21-18, 21-13
Flight #2: Charlie Ekstrom/Maya Harvey (Stanford) def. Teagan DeFalco/Allison Hansen (Grand Canyon) 16-21, 21-19, 15-9
Flight #3: Maddi Kriz/Kate Reilly (Stanford) def. Allanis Navas/Paula Hoffmann (Grand Canyon) 21-19, 21-18
Flight #4: Emmy Sharp/Amelia Smith (Stanford) def. Madison Relaz/Taylor Jarzombek (Grand Canyon) 22-20, 21-15
Flight #5: Maddie Dailey/Jordan McKinney (Stanford) def. Katie Sarber/Alina Randall (Grand Canyon) 21-12, 21-12
 
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1
 
No. 11 Stanford 5, San Jose State 0
Flight #1: Xolani Hodel/Sunny Villapando (Stanford) def. Haylee Nelson/Jaida Ward (San Jose State) 21-13, 21-9
Flight #2: Charlie Ekstrom/Maya Harvey (Stanford) def. Siena Brewster/Latizia Cammillucci (San Jose State) 21-6, 21-15
Flight #3: Maddi Kriz/Kate Reilly (Stanford) def. Allyson Alden/Mia Schafer (San Jose State) 21-9, 21-17
Flight #4: Emmy Sharp/Amelia Smith (Stanford) def. Cheyenne Rice/Allison Periera (San Jose State) 21-9, 21-16
Flight #5: Maddie Dailey/Jordan McKinney (Stanford) def. Calli Novak/Kiley Lingenfelter (San Jose State) 21-9, 21-11
 
Order of finish: 4, 2, 5, 1, 3