TEMPE, Ariz. – No. 3 Stanford split its second day of action at the 2024 Pac-12 Championship Thursday, falling short to No. 2 UCLA in the morning but rebounded strong against No. 12 Washington 3-0.
The 2024 Pac-12 Championship is a double-elimination tournament and Stanford's loss to the Bruins Thursday morning moved them from the winners bracket to the contenders bracket. The Cardinal will need to play two matches Friday to advance to the championship match. Any loss throughout the rest of the event will eliminate the team from contention for the conference title.
Stanford set a new program record for wins in a single season with its victory over Washington Thursday afternoon, now sitting with a 30-4 record on the 2024 season. It topped its previous record of 29 wins set in the 2023 season.
Senior Maya Harvey was named 2024 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year before the beginning of the Cardinal's matchup with the Washington Huskies, the first-ever Stanford student-athlete to win the Beach Volleyball academic award.
The day opened with the matchup against the Bruins, its fourth meeting of the season against its conference foe. No. 2 UCLA swept the battle, securing points on courts one, three, and five for the victory. The loss moved the Cardinal to the contender's bracket in the double-elimination tournament.
Stanford returned to the courts in the afternoon to take on the Huskies, the second time the two programs have met in the last six days. Sophomore Kelly Belardi and freshman Chloe Hoffman started the Cardinal's winning ways with a 28-26, 21-11 victory on court three. Senior Maya Harvey and sophomore Ashley Vincent came back from a first-set defeat to earn the match's second point, winning on court five by a score of 14-21, 21-19, 15-12. Senior Xolani Hodel and freshman Brooke Rockwell secured the win with a 22-20, 21-16 result on court one.
The Cardinal continues play tomorrow as one of four teams left in the hunt for the 2024 Pac-12 Championship. No. 3 Stanford takes on No.6-seed and No. 13-ranked Arizona State at 10:45 a.m., broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks. The winner of that match takes on the loser of No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UCLA (played at 9 a.m.) at 1 p.m., for a spot in the championship match, against the winner of No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 UCLA, set for 4 p.m.
#2 UCLA 3, #3 Stanford 0
1. Maggie Boyd and Lexy Denaburg (UCLA) def. Xolani Hodel and Brooke Rockwell (STAN) 21-10, 21-16
2. Peri Brennan and Devon Newberry (UCLA) vs. Ruby Sorra and Taylor Wilson (STAN) match was unfinished 23-21, 6-4
3. Kenzie Brower and Jessie Smith (UCLA) def. Kelly Belardi and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) 21-18, 21-15
4. Tessa Van Winkle and Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) vs. Kate Reilly and Clara Stowell (STAN) match was unfinished 19-21, 1-1
5. Ensley Alden and Natalie Myszkowki (UCLA) def. Maya Harvey and Ashley Vincent (STAN) 21-18, 21-14
Order of finish: 3, 5, 1*
#3 Stanford 3, #12 Washington 0
1. Xolani Hodel and Brooke Rockwell (STAN) def. Piper Monk-Heidrich and Maggy Rabitsch (UW) 22-20, 21-16
2. Ruby Sorra and Taylor Wilson (STAN) vs. Zoey Henson and Lauren Wilcock (UW) match was unfinished 17-21, 0-1
3. Kelly Belardi and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) def. Kierstyn Barton and Kendall Mather (UW) 28-26, 21-11
4. Kate Reilly and Clara Stowell (STAN) vs. Scarlett Dahl and Josie Ulrich (UW) match was unfinished 18-10
5. Maya Harvey and Ashley Vincent (STAN) def. Brooke Balue and Sarah Wilcock (UW) 14-21, 21-19, 15-12
Order of finish: 3, 5, 1*