STANFORD – In this statement-making season, the No. 12 Cal beach volleyball team made another one Thursday.

The Bears can win with more than just talent.

Cal fell behind in four of five matches against Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 Championship, but overcame some shaky moments to pull out a 4-1 victory at the Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium.

"We didn't necessarily come with our best beach volleyball today but we were exceptional competitors," Cal head coach Meagan Owusu said. "It was that ability to compete each and every point that earned us that victory. They were all resilient and found a way to bounce back."

The Bears (22-6), the No. 3 seed, advanced to play second-seeded USC on Friday in a Winners Bracket game at 11:30 a.m. PT.

After the teams split the matches at the No. 4 and No. 5 spot, Cal took a 2-1 lead in the dual when the No. 3 pair of senior Bryce Bark and sophomore Madison Dueck overcame an 18-15 deficit in the second set for a 21-18, 21-18 victory. Cal's No. 1 team of senior Jessica Gaffney and freshman Mima Mirkovic then clinched the dual, but not before staging a gritty comeback in each set for a pulsating 24-22, 23-21 win.

Gaffney and Mirkovic trailed 19-16 in the first set and 20-19 in the second set but came back each time for the win.

"What got us through is being mentally calm and believing that we are going to get the next point," Mirkovic said. "We just stayed really calm and knew to let everything that was out of our control go."

Moments after Gaffney and Mirkovic finished off their victory, the Bears' No. 2 team of sophomore Iya Lindahl and freshman Alexia Inman stormed back for a 12-21, 21-16, 15-10 victory.

Cal's No. 5 team of junior Grace Campbell and freshman Maddie Micheletti improved to 25-1 on the season with a dominant 21-13, 21-7 victory to get the dual started.

Gaffney and Mirkovic played just their second match together this season. They debuted last weekend against Stanford and notched the clinching win in a 3-2 victory.

"We practice together every single day and we know what kind of player each other is," Mirkovic said. "It was a very smooth transition. Her being a senior, she is a mentor to me. Seeing her stay calm when I am down is really important. I am so confident in her and trust her to do what she needs to do."


 
No. 12 Cal 4, Washington 1
No. 1: Jessica Gaffney-Mima Mirkovic (Cal) def. Jordan Anderson-Kimmy Gardiner, 24-22, 23-21
No. 2: Iya Lindahl-Alexia Inman (Cal) def. Courtney Schwan-Destiny Julye, 12-21, 21-16, 15-10
No. 3: Bryce Bark-Madison Dueck (Cal) def. Carly Dehoog-Shayne McPherson, 21-18, 21-18
No. 4: Anna Crabtree-Kara Bajema (UW) def. Mia Merino-Caroline Schafer, 21-10, 21-13
No. 5: Grace Campbell-Maddie Micheletti (Cal) def. Natalie Robinson-Sam Drechsel, 21-13, 21-7