LOS ANGELES – The most successful season in the three-year history of Cal's beach volleyball program came to an end Saturday night at the inaugural Pac-12 Championships at USC.

The fourth-seeded Bears (17-11), who won their first-round dual over Arizona State on Friday, dropped a winner's bracket match against No. 1 USC 5-0 on Saturday afternoon. That put Cal in the contender's bracket, where they fell to No. 7 Washington 4-1.

The Bears began their dual with Washington with a pair of competitive matches, as Cal's No. 4 pair of sophomore Teya Neff and freshman Kaity Uythoven were edged 21-15, 19-21, 16-14. The Bears' No. 5 pair of sophomore Katie Regalia and freshman Rachel Wilson lost 18-21, 21-15, 15-12.

Needing their top three pairs to win, the Bears got a victory from all-freshmen No. 3 pair Olivia Rodberg and Grace Campbell, 21-17, 21-8. But Cal's top two pairs fell in straight sets and the Huskies won the dual.

The Bears had a couple of competitive matches against the dominant Trojans, who have won 24 straight duals and are the favorite to win the first-ever NCAA Championship. Rodberg and Campbell fell 21-17, 21-17 at the No. 3 spot while sophomore Bryce Bark and senior Kory Lamet lost 21-17, 21-15 in the No. 2 hole.

Saturday closed out the careers of seniors Lamet, Sarah Cole and Ashley Johnson. The Bears have been ranked in the DiG Magazine top-20 for almost the entire season, including at No. 15 this week.

The Bears will return a strong nucleus for 2017, with freshmen Mia Merino, Rodberg, Campbell, Uythoven and Wilson joining rising sophomores Bark, Neff and Regalia as the Bears' core. Cal also welcomes a talented recruiting class on campus next year.

 

No. 1 USC 5, No. 4 Cal 0

No. 1: Kelly Claes-Sara Hughes (USC) def. Sarah Cole-Mia Merino, 21-11, 21-8

No. 2: Sophie Bukovec-Alexa Strange (USC) def. Bryce Bark-Kory Lamet, 21-17, 21-15

No. 3: Nicolette Martin-Allie Wheeler (USC) def. Olivia Rodberg-Grace Campbell, 21-17, 21-17

No. 4: Jenna Belton-Abril Bustamante (USC) def. Teya Neff-Kaity Uythoven, 21-10, 21-15

No. 5: Jo Kremer-Zoe Nightingale (USC) def. Katie Regalia-Rachel Wilson, 21-12, 21-17

 

No. 7 Washington 4, No. 4 Cal 1

No. 1: Crissy Jones-Tia Scambray (UW) def. Sarah Cole-Mia Merino, 21-16, 21-11

No. 2: Courtney Schwan-Cassie Strickland (UW) def. Bryce Bark-Kory Lamet, 21-17, 21-18

No. 3: Olivia Rodberg-Grace Campbell (Cal) def. Jade Finau-Lianna Sybeldon, 21-17, 21-8

No. 4: Justice Macgraw-Melanie Wade (UW) def. Teya Neff-Kaity Uythoven, 21-15, 19-21, 16-14

No. 5: Lindsay Chalmers-Destiny Julye (UW) def. Katie Regalia-Rachel Wilson, , 18-21, 21-16, 15-12