HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Stanford beach volleyball players senior Xolani Hodel and freshman Brooke Rockwell brought home a second-place finish at the 2023 Women's Pairs National Championship at the AVCA Fall National Championship Nov. 3-5. The duo of senior Kate Reilly and freshman Chloe Hoffman had a strong weekend as well, falling in the first round of the ninth-place bracket.
Friday saw both duos take on pool play, with each pair winning its pool. Reilly and Hoffman swept their pool, first topping Pepperdine's Perez/Briede 16-21, 21-14, 15-9, and followed it with a two-set sweep of Arizona's Cook/Shannon 21-12, 21-10. The pair ended its day with a three-set victory over Hawai'i's Napoleon/Santer 21-10, 22-24, 15-8. Hodel and Rockwell first swept Coastal Carolina's Kragholm/Riedell 21-13, 21-14, but then fell in a three-set tightly contested match with North Florida's Espy/Murray 21-10, 19-21, 13-15. The duo quickly rebounded with a win over Hawai'i's Glagau/Thelle 21-19, 28-26 to finish its first day of play.
Both pairs moved onto the Championship Bracket with their performances Friday. Reilly/Hoffman first met Hodel/Rockwell's final opponent of Friday, beating Hawai'is Glagau/Thelle 21-16, 18-21, 15-9. Rockwell/Hodel first took on LMU's Reffel/Thorup, topping the duo 21-16, 14-21, 15-11, moving both duos moving into the round of 16. Reilly/Hoffman fought until the end of its round of 16 match, falling to defending national-championship runner-up pair UCLA's Newberry/Whitmarsh 13-21, 21-18, 13-15. They then moved into the ninth-place bracket for play Sunday.
Meanwhile, Hodel/Rockwell met Long Beach's Standage/Westby in the round of 16, topping the Beach in a two-set sweep 21-18, 21-14. The pair ended Saturday with a dual against defending national champion USC's Pater/Radell, beating the Women of Troy 21-13, 18-21, 15-13 to move onto the round of 4.
Sunday saw Reilly/Hoffman end play in Huntsville with a tough-fought battle in the ninth-place bracket with FAU's Moon/Svozilova, falling to the Owls 18-21, 18-21.
Hodel/Rockwell started Sunday with a matchup against Bay Area foe California's Caffo/Young-Gomez, topping the Golden Bears 16-21, 24-22, 18-16 to move onto the championship match. They then met TCU's Hamlett/Khmil, fighting until the very end of the championship match but ultimately falling to the Horned Frogs 17-21, 21-19, 12-15.
Play in Huntsville concluded Stanford Beach Volleyball's fall action. The Cardinal's 2024 schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
Friday
Pool Play: Hoffman/Reilly (Stanford) def. Perez/Briede (Pepperdine) 16-21, 21-14, 15-9
Pool Play: Hoffman/Reilly (Stanford) def. Cook/Shannon (Arizona) 21-12, 21-10
Pool Play: Hoffman/Reilly (Stanford) def. Napoleon/Santer (Hawai'i) 21-10, 22-24, 15-8
Pool Play: Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) def. Kragholm/Riedell (Coastal Carolina) 21-13, 21-14
Pool Play: Espy/Murray (North Florida) def. Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) 21-10, 19-21, 13-15
Pool Play: Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) def. Glagau/Thelle 21-19, 28-26 (Hawai'i)
Saturday
Round of 32: Hoffman/Reilly (Stanford) def. Glagau/Thelle (Hawai'i) 21-16, 18-21, 15-9
Round of 32: Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) def. Reffel/Thorup (LMU) 21-16, 14-21, 15-11
Round of 16: Newberry/Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Hoffman/Reilly (Stanford) 13-21, 21-18, 13-15
Round of 16: Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) def. Standage/Westby (Long Beach) 21-18, 21-14
Round of 8: Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) def. Pater/Radell (USC) 21-13, 18-21, 15-13
Sunday
Round of 4: Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) def. Caffo/Young-Gomez (California) 16-21, 24-22, 18-16
Ninth-place bracket: Moon/Svozilova (FAU) def. Hoffman/Reilly (Stanford) 18-21, 18-21
Championship match: Hamlett/Khmil (TCU) def. Hodel/Rockwell (Stanford) 17-21, 21-19, 12-15