HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford took down both No. 5 USC and No. 1 UCLA in a pair of postseason matches from the MPSF Championship Tournament on Thursday, punching its ticket to the championship match on Friday at Noon from Spiker Beach.
The Cardinal swept USC 3-0 before upending top-ranked UCLA 3-1 to close action on day two from the MSPF Championships.
The historic day at the beach featured the Cardinal’s first sweep over USC in program history, while Stanford’s 3-1 victory over the Bruins was its first of the season after dropping the previous three meetings.
Stanford came out strong against USC, winning the first set on each of the top four courts to put the pressure on the Trojans.
Junior Kelly Belardi and freshman Charlotta Bell continued their strong play on court three and locked up the first point of the match, defeating Mabyn Thomas and Maya Gessner in convincing fashion 21-14, 21-12.
On court one, sophomore Ruby Sorra and senior Taylor Wilson secured a second point for the Cardinal by way of a 21-16, 21-18 victory over USC’s Madison White and Zoey Henson.
The clinching point came from sophomore Chloe Hoffman and freshman Logan Tusher on court four, as the duo posted a 21-17, 21-16 victory over the Trojans’ Delaney Karl and Ella Larkin.
Carrying momentum from the sweep over the Trojans, Stanford won the first set over the Bruins on all five courts. Staggering the starts, courts two and four got underway approximately 15 minutes prior to the remainder of competition.
Hoffman and Tusher won a tight 21-17 first set on court four, but cruised to victory over UCLA’s Alexa Fernandez and Kaley Mathews in the second set 21-15 to lock up Stanford’s first point. Playing together since the start of April, the duo is now a perfect 14-0 while paired this season.
Finishing shortly after Hoffman and Tusher, freshman Avery Jackson and sophomore Brooke Rockwell pushed Stanford within a point of victory by way of a 23-21, 21-11 triumph over Peri Brennan and Natalie Myszkowski of UCLA on court two.
Junior Daria Gusarova and graduate student Emmy Sharp made quick work of UCLA’s Harper Cooper and Ensley Alden on court five in the opening set, posting a 21-8 victory, but the foursome found itself locked in an epic second set that saw the Bruins triumph 34-32. Gusarova and Sharp had nine match-point chances, but the top-ranked Bruins refused to surrender without a fight and forced a third set that would not be completed.
While the teams traded blows on court five, UCLA’s top pair of Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd rebounded from a 21-18 setback in the opening stanza to defeat Sorra and Wilson 18-21, 21-16, 15-9 in three to run the team score to 2-1 in favor of Stanford.
With two points still to be determined, and both courts three and five in third sets, the focus shifted to Belardi and Bell at No. 3 in the lineup. Stanford’s duo won the opener 24-22, but dropped the second set 23-21. In another tight stanza against UCLA’s Jessie Smith and Kenzie Brower, the pair again played into extra points and secured a 16-14 victory on Belardi’s shot down the line to clinch the match for Stanford. The victory was Belardi and Bell’s sixth straight win as they improved to 16-3 on the year.
Having advanced through the winner’s bracket, Stanford will face either UCLA, USC or California in the MSPF Championship match at Noon on Friday. USC and California will play on Friday at 8:45 a.m., with the winner advancing to meet UCLA at 10 a.m. The winner of that second match will then play the Cardinal in a winner-take-all match for the title.
#3 Stanford 3, #5 USC 0
1. Ruby Sorra and Taylor Wilson (STAN) def. Madison White and Zoey Henson (USC) 21-16, 21-18
2. Avery Jackson and Brooke Rockwell (STAN) vs. Ashley Pater and Kennedy Coakley (USC) 21-19, 12-17 (match was unfinished)
3. Kelly Belardi and Charlotta Bell (STAN) def. Mabyn Thomas and Maya Gessner (USC) 21-14, 21-12
4. Chloe Hoffman and Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Delaney Karl and Ella Larkin (USC) 21-17, 21-16
5. Daria Gusarova and Emmy Sharp (STAN) vs. Madison Goellner and Kaileigh Truslow (USC) 14-21, 17-15 (match was unfinished)
Order of finish: 3, 1, 4*
#3 Stanford 3, #1 UCLA 1
1. Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd (UCLA) def. Ruby Sorra and Taylor Wilson (STAN) 18-21, 21-16, 15-9
2. Avery Jackson and Brooke Rockwell (STAN) def. Peri Brennan and Natalie Myszkowski (UCLA) 23-21, 21-11
3. Kelly Belardi and Charlotta Bell (STAN) def. Jessie Smith and Kenzie Brower (UCLA) 24-22, 21-23, 16-14
4. Chloe Hoffman and Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Alexa Fernandez and Kaley Mathews (UCLA) 21-17, 21-15
5. Harper Cooper and Ensley Alden (UCLA) vs. Daria Gusarova and Emmy Sharp (STAN) 8-21, 34-32, 6-9 (match was unfinished)
Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 3*