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Beach Volleyball

Cardinal Battles to Runner-Up Finish in SLO, Splits Thrillers With No. 6 USC and No. 2 UCLA

Cardinal posts three top-20 wins in San Luis Obispo, pushing No. 2 UCLA to the brink in championship match

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – No. 5 Stanford earned a second-place finish at the Center of Effort Volleyball Challenge, defeating No. 6 USC 3-2 before falling to No. 2 UCLA by the same score in the tournament’s championship match.

The Cardinal wrapped up its time in SLO with a 3-1 record, improving to 23-8 on the season. All three wins came against top-20 opponents, bringing Stanford’s total ranked victories in 2025 to 13. 

Stanford evened its season series with USC with a 3-2 win to start the day. The teams had faced off three times in 2025 prior to Saturday, with the Women of Troy holding a 2-1 advantage. The Cardinal came out strong, winning the first set on four of five courts, and secured the match with straight-set victories on courts three, four, and five. USC claimed points with wins on courts one and two.

After going 3-0 in pool play, Stanford advanced to the first-place match of the Center of Effort Volleyball Challenge to face No. 2 UCLA.

The championship match was a tightly contested battle from the opening serve. Stanford earned first-set wins on courts four and five, while UCLA took early leads on the top three courts. The Bruins struck first with a straight-set win on court one, but the Cardinal responded with a two-set victory on court four by sophomore Chloe Hoffman and freshman Logan Tusher. The remaining courts all went to three sets. UCLA grabbed its second point as Peri Brennan and Natalie Myszkowski outlasted freshman Avery Jackson and sophomore Brooke Rockwell 21-18, 19-21, 15-9. Junior Daria Gusarova and sophomore Clara Stowell answered with a three-set win of their own, defeating UCLA’s Harper Cooper and Sophie Moore 21-14, 18-21, 15-10. The deciding point came down to court three, where freshman Charlotta Bell and junior Kelly Belardi rallied from a first-set loss (21-19) to take the second set 22-20. The duo battled in the third but ultimately fell to the Bruins 15-12.

Stanford wraps up regular-season play April 18–19, hosting No. 10 Cal, No. 20 Washington, Santa Clara, and UC Davis at The Farm for two jam-packed days of action.

#5 Stanford 3, #6 USC 2

  1. Madison White/Zoey Henson (USC) def. Taylor Wilson/Ruby Sorra (STAN) 18-21, 21-16, 15-11
  2. Kennedy Coakley/Ashley Pater (USC) def. Avery Jackson/Brooke Rockwell (STAN) 22-20, 21-12
  3. Kelly Belardi/Charlotta Bell (STAN) def. Delaney Karl/Ella Larkin (USC) 21-12, 21-16
  4. Chloe Hoffman/Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Maya Gessner/Mabyn Thomas (USC) 21-17, 21-9
  5. Daria Gusarova/Clara Stowell (STAN) def. Macy Bolyard/Madison Goellner (USC) 21-17, 21-19

Order of finish: 3, 5, 4*, 2, 1

#2 UCLA 3, #5 Stanford 2

  1. Sally Perez/Maggie Boyd (UCLA) def. Taylor Wilson/Ruby Sorra (STAN) 21-17, 21-16
  2. Peri Brennan/Natalie Myszkowski (UCLA) def. Avery Jackson/Brooke Rockwell (STAN) 21-18, 19-21, 15-9
  3. Jessie Smith/Kenzie Brower (UCLA) def. Charlotta Bell/Kelly Belardi (STAN) 21-19, 20-22, 15-12
  4. Chloe Hoffman/Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Tessa Van Winkle/Alexa Fernandez (UCLA) 21-15, 21-16
  5. Clara Stowell/Daria Gusarova (STAN) def. Harper Cooper/Sophie Moore (UCLA) 21-14, 18-21, 15-10

Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 5, 3*