STANFORD – No. 2 pair Jessica Gaffney and Iya Lindahl recorded two impressive victories to lead the Cal beach volleyball team to a pair of dual match wins Friday on the first day of the Stanford Tournament.

Gaffney and Lindahl crushed Boise State's Brindl Langley and Lee Bulda, 21-9, 21-7 to lead the Bears to a 5-0 triumph over Boise State. They then clinched a 4-1 victory over Arizona State with a gritty 21-13, 20-22, 15-9 win.

"Jess and Iya are both very high-level players," Cal head coach Meagan Owusu said. "They have a lot of experience and are one of our most intelligent pairs."

After the Bears (5-1) won all five matches against the Broncos in a sweep, allowing more than 15 points in a set just once, they jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Sun Devils with wins by No. 4 pair Caroline Schafer and Mia Merino and No. 5 pair Grace Campbell and Maddie Micheletti. No. 3 pair Bryce Bark and Madison Dueck then dropped a narrow three-set match, and after Arizona State's Natalie Braun and Frances Giedraitis forced a third set in the No. 2 match, Gaffney and Lindahl were suddenly put in a pressure-packed situation.

"Iya and I play like it's the championship every match, so we don't add too much pressure on ourselves," Gaffney said. "We could feel the whole team there and knew it would be a huge win. (No. 1 pair Mima Mirkovic and Alexia Inman) still had to play, but we wanted to end it."

Gaffney and Lindahl had match point at 20-19 against Arizona State in the second set but the Sun Devils scored three in a row to force the decisive set.

"There was a lot of pressure on them to win that third set," Owusu said. "They talked before that set started about just playing their game and being aggressive, and they did just that."

Inman and Mirkovic, playing at the No. 1 spot for the first time this season, improved to 6-0 with a pair of straight-set victories. Schafer and Merino also registered two straight-set victories, with Schafer dominating the net in both matches.

"When Caroline is in system, she's unstoppable," Owusu said. "She was passing really well today and Mia was setting her extremely consistently. As a freshman, she really goes out and is aggressive and confident against more experienced players."

The Bears return to action at the Stanford Tournament on Saturday with matches against No. 18 Tulane and San Jose State.

 
Cal 5, Boise State 0
No. 1: Mima Mirkovic-Alexia Inman (Cal) def. Janell Walley-Sabryn Roberts, 21-15, 21-18
No. 2: Jessica Gaffney-Iya Lindahl (Cal) def. Brindl Langley-Jaymee-Lee Bulda, 21-9, 21-7
No. 3: Bryce Bark-Madison Dueck (Cal) def. Kylee Johnson-Kenna Hanses, 21-13, 21-12
No. 4: Mia Merino-Caroline Schafer (Cal) def. Kiley Lewis-Jensen Allen, 21-13, 21-11
No. 5: Maddie Micheletti-Grace Campbell (Cal) def. Skye Southwick-Maya Watkins, 21-12, 21-15

 
Cal 4, Arizona State 1
No. 1: Mima Mirkovic-Alexia Inman (Cal) def. Kwyn Johnson-Mia Rivera, 22-20, 21-14
No. 2: Jessica Gaffney-Iya Lindahl (Cal) def. Natalie Braun-Frances Giedraitis, 21-13, 20-22, 15-9
No. 3: Katelyn Carballo-Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) def. Bryce Bark-Madison Dueck, 19-21, 24-22, 15-12
No.,4: Caroline Schafer-Mia Merino (Cal) def. Katie Cross-Cierra Flood, 21-16, 21-15
No. 5: Grace Campbell-Maddie Micheletti (Cal) def. Samantha Plaster-Katie Baldwin, 21-11, 19-21, 15-9