LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford secured two top-10 victories Friday, besting No. 10 Long Beach State 4-1 and No. 2 UCLA 3-2 in its first day of action at the Best in the West tournament.
Stanford (25-2) extended its winning streak to 13 with its victories over the Beach and Bruins.
The Cardinal opened the tournament with a 4-1 victory over No. 10 Long Beach State. Long Beach State took the opening point with a 21-15, 21-18 win on court two, but the Cardinal quickly responded by winning courts one and four. Senior Kelly Belardi and sophomore Avery Jackson moved to 11-0 as a pair with a 23-21, 21-18 win over Gementera and Hagenah, while sophomore Indigo Clarke and junior Clara Stowell posted their 19th victory as a duo with a 21-16, 21-15 win on court four. Junior Chloe Hoffman and redshirt freshman Elena Fisher clinched the match with their 20th victory this season as a pair, defeating Gamberdella/Lankton 21-16, 21-15. Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher added Stanford’s fourth point with their 20th win as a duo, defeating Standage and Edwards on court three, 21-13, 21-18.
Stanford next faced the Bruins for the third time this season, avenging its previous defeat on March 7 with a 3-2 victory. The Cardinal won the first two points in straight sets on courts two and five. Juniors Ruby Sorra and Brooke Rockwell scored the first point with a 21-18, 21-15 win over Alden/Mathews on court two, followed by a 21-18, 22-20 victory on court five from Fisher and Hoffman. UCLA responded with two three-set wins on courts three and one to tie the contest, leaving the outcome to court four. After losing 21-17 in their first set, Clarke and Stowell stormed back with a 21-18 second-set win and took the third set decisively, 15-9.
The Cardinal will play two more matches Saturday at the Best in the West tournament. Stanford first faces No. 4 USC at 9:30 a.m. before concluding its Southern California road trip with a match against No. 6 Cal Poly at 2:30 p.m.
#1 Stanford 4, #10 Long Beach State 1
1. Belardi/Jackson (STAN) def. Gementera/Hagenah (LBSU) 23-21, 21-18
2. Hinton/Wagdy (LBSU) def. Sorra/Rockwell (STAN) 15-21, 18-21
3. Bell/Tusher (STAN) def. Standage/Edwards (LBSU) 21-13, 21-18
4. I. Clarke/Stowell (STAN) def. Birch/Phillipos (LBSU) 21-16, 21-15
5. Hoffman/Fisher (STAN) def. Gamberdella/Lankton (LBSU) 21-16, 21-15
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 5*, 3
#1 Stanford 3, #2 UCLA 2
1. Perez/Boyd (UCLA) def. Belardi/Jackson (STAN) 21-14, 19-21, 17-15
2. Sorra/Rockwell (STAN) def. Alden/Mathews (UCLA) 21-18, 21-15
3. Cooper/Fernandez (UCLA) def. Tusher/Bell (STAN) 12-21, 21-10, 15-3
4 I. Clarke/Stowell (STAN) def. Brower/Williamson (UCLA) 17-21, 21-18, 15-9
5. Fisher/Hoffman (STAN) def. Dodd/ Le Blanc (UCLA) 21-18, 22-20
Order of finish: 2, 5, 3, 1, 4*