LOS ANGELES – No. 1 Stanford split its second day of play at the MPSF Midseason Rumble Saturday, topping No. 5 Texas 3-2 before falling to host No. 2 UCLA 4-1.
The Cardinal (12-2) went 3-1 over the two-day event in Los Angeles, including two top-20 ranked victories.
Stanford’s first top-five matchup of the day saw three of five matchups go to three-set battles. The Cardinal secured the first two match points in straight-set sweeps, as sophomore Avery Jackson and junior Brooke Rockwell captured the victory over Texas’ Pavelkova/Pavelkova 21-17, 21-18 and sophomores Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher snagged a 25-23, 21-18 win over the Longhorns’ Butler/Davis on court four. Texas punched back with three-set victories on courts one and five. With the dual tied up, it came down to a three-set clash on court three where sophomore Indigo Clarke and junior Clara Stowell came back from a first-set 25-23 defeat to top Texas’ Robertson/Thomas 23-25, 21-19, 15-6 and clinch the match’s victory.
The Cardinal and Bruins’ second matchup of the 2026 season was decided in straight sets across all five courts, this time in favor of UCLA. In the first wave of pairs, each team scored a match point with Stanford’s Bell/Tusher besting UCLA’s Williamson/Dueck 21-13, 21-16 on court two and the Bruins’ Mathews/Alden topping Rockwell/Jackson 21-16, 21-19 on court four. All three other match points went the way of the Bruins, with Perez/Boyd’s 21-18, 21-16 win on court one over sophomore Ruby Sorra and senior Kelly Belardi clinching the dual’s victory.
Stanford heads back to The Farm for its next weekend of action, welcoming Houston Christian, No. 18 Washington, No. 17 North Florida and No. 11 Long Beach State to Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium March 13-14. The Cardinal will take on HCU and UW on Friday at 3 and 5 p.m., respectively, while Stanford is set to battle UNF and LBSU on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. All matches will be streamed on B1G+.
#1 Stanford 3, #5 Texas 2
- Brecht Piersma and Katie Hashman (Texas) def. Kelly Belardi and Ruby Sorra (Stanford) 18-21, 21-16, 15-11
- Avery Jackson and Brooke Rockwell (Stanford) def. Anna Pavelkova and Kacka Pavelkova (Texas) 21-17 21-18
- Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (Stanford) def. Emma Grace Robertson and Savannah Thomas (Texas) 23-25, 21-19, 15-6
- Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (Stanford) def. Macey Butler and Lily Davis (Texas) 25-23, 21-18
- Noa Sonneville and Karin Zolnercikova (Texas) def. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (Stanford) 21-19, 13-21, 16-14
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 5, 3
#2 UCLA 4, #1 Stanford 1
- Sally Perez and Maggie Boyd (UCLA) def. Kelly Belardi and Ruby Sorra (Stanford) 21-18, 21-16
- Kaley Mathews and Ensley Alden (UCLA) def. Avery Jackson and Brooke Rockwell (Stanford) 21-16, 21-19
- Alexa Fernandez and Harper Cooper (UCLA) def. Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (Stanford) 21-16, 21-17
- Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (Stanford) def. Ava Williamson and Jesse Dueck (UCLA) 21-13, 21-16
- Kenzie Brower and Mallory LaBreche (UCLA) def. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (Stanford) 21-18, 21-18
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 1*, 5