HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – No. 2 Stanford picked up its 36th win of the 2026 season Thursday morning, edging No. 5 USC 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the winner’s bracket at the 2026 MPSF Championship at Spiker Beach.
The Cardinal (36-3) avenged a 3-2 loss to the Women of Troy on April 10 at the Center of Effort Challenge.
Stanford took an early advantage with first-set wins on courts three, four and five, but needed a reverse sweep to advance to Friday’s semifinal. USC jumped ahead 2-0 with points on courts one and two: Henson/Wood defeated senior Kelly Belardi and sophomore Avery Jackson 21-16, 21-19 on the top court, and Pater/Coakley beat juniors Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra at No. 2 pairs, 21-18, 21-15.
Sophomore Indigo Clarke and junior Clara Stowell put Stanford on the board with a 21-17, 21-14 win over Zaengle/Kok on court four. Sophomores Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher followed with a 21-16, 21-14 victory at No. 3 pairs. With the match tied 2-2, redshirt freshman Elena Fisher and junior Chloe Hoffman held off Goellner/Truslow at No. 5 pairs, clinching the dual with a 21-15, 21-19 win.
After Thursday's results, the Cardinals' semifinal matchup was set. Stanford takes on No. 1/No.2-seed UCLA at 8 a.m. PT, televised on the Big Ten Network. The winner of that match moves on to the Championship dual, set for 10:15 a.m.
No. 2 Stanford 3, No. 5 USC 2
1. Zoey Henson and Sarah Wood (USC) def. Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson (STAN) 21-16, 21-19
2. Ashley Pater and Kennedy Coakley (USC) def. Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra (STAN) 21-18, 21-15
3. Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Bella Satterwhite and Kerry Keefe (USC) 21-16, 21-14
4. Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (STAN) def. Kyra Zaengle and Calinda Kok (USC) 21-17, 21-14
5. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) def. Madison Goellner and Kaileigh Truslow (USC) 21-15, 21-19
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5*