STANFORD, Calif. — No. 2 Stanford beach volleyball made its way home for the opening of the Battle of the Bay on Friday, and Mother Nature greeted the Card with ample amounts of wind and rain. The poor weather proved not to be a deterrent for Stanford, as the Cardinal knocked off No. 6 TCU 3-2 in the team's opening match. Stanford's second match against Oregon was canceled, with rain worsening as the night continued.
Things began in a perfect fashion for the Cardinal as freshman Ruby Sorra and junior Taylor Wilson earned the first victory of the day, beating Anete Namike and Tara Patton of TCU in the twos 21-19, 21-14. That was followed up shortly thereafter with freshman Chloe Hoffman and senior Kate Reilly earning a win in the fours over Emma Glagau and Ana Vergara 21-16, 21-15.
The clincher came in the third match to go final, with senior Maya Harvey and freshman Clara Stowell securing a Stanford win by beating the fives of TCU 21-11 and 21-18, surviving a much tighter second set than their opener. With the win secured, Stanford attempted to add on with the top pair of senior Xolani Hodel and freshman Brooke Rockwell, but after the first two sets were split, they dropped the final set 15-7.
Day two of the Battle of the Bay features Stanford hosting UC Davis and San Jose State at 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, respectively. Matches begin early in the morning once again, with the opening battle between Saint Mary's and TCU beginning at 8:00 am.
#2 Stanford 3, #6 TCU 2
1. Hailey Hamlett/Anhelina Khmil (TCU) def. Xolani Hodel/Brooke Rockwell (STAN) 21-23, 26-24, 15-7
2. Ruby Sorra/Taylor Wilson (STAN) def. Anete Namike/Tara Patton (TCU) 21-19, 21-14
3. Sutton MacTavish/Alex Parkhurst (TCU) def. Kelly Belardi/Ashley Vincent (STAN) 21-14, 21-11
4. Chloe Hoffman/Kate Reilly (STAN) def. Emma Glagau/Ana Vergara (TCU) 21-16, 21-15
5. Maya Harvey/Clara Stowell (STAN) def. Morgan Williams/Keagan Polk (TCU) 21-11, 21-18