STANFORD – The No. 12 Cal beach volleyball team finally reached its physical and emotional limit Saturday, finishing off a season that featured accomplished goals and stunning growth.

When a memorable run through the Pac-12 Championship finally ended in a 5-0 loss to No. 5 USC in the contenders bracket championship match, the Bears polished off a season in which they established themselves as not only a player on the national scene, but a big-time program that can stand tall when the stakes are highest.

Cal began the day with a heartpounding 3-2 win over Washington, continuing  a string of nail-biting duals throughout the tournament. For the second day in a row, it was the Cal's No. 2 pair of sophomore Iya Lindahl and freshman Alexia Inman providing the heroics with the dual on the line, gutting out a 24-22, 26-24 victory in the deciding match.

Friday in an elimination match against No. 15 Arizona, Lindahl and Inman took a three-set thriller to give the Bears a 3-2 victory.

"This was by far the highest level of competition that the Bears have faced, and it was the longest tournament," Cal head coach Meagan Owusu said. "For them to come out and play consistently well day after day was extremely encouraging."

The Bears went 3-2 in the tournament, opening with a 4-1 win over Washington before dropping a 4-1 decision to USC. Cal came back to defeat the Wildcats and Huskies again before ultimately losing to the Trojans for the second time during the weekend. Cal played nine sets during the tournament that went into overtime, compiling a record of 6-3. They also played in six three-set matches.

"The Washington dual this morning was physically and emotionally taxing," Owusu said. "When we faced USC, the Bears gave everything they had, but we could see we definitely had fatigue."

Cal finished the season with a 24-8 record, easily the best in program history. The third-place finish in the Pac-12 was a stated goal for the Bears before the season, but as 2018 progressed, the team found itself aiming even higher.

"We had a goal of finishing in the top-3 before the season even began, but as we continued through the season, we knew that goal was not only achievable, but so was winning the Pac-12," Owusu said. "The program has grown so much. The veterans deserve a lot of the credit because of the leadership they've shown, and the freshmen have also brought a new level of energy that has provided so much to the team culture."

The benchmarks the Bears established in the fifth season of program history are plentiful. Among their accomplishments are defeating No. 4 USC – the highest-ranked opponent they have ever beaten; reaching the 20-win mark for the first time and earning a No. 12 national ranking – the highest ever for the Bears.

"We probably told this group of athletes that we had a special thing going on a weekly basis," Owusu said. "We've all been exposed to many programs, and you know when you have that special group. This year was a special group."


 
No. 12 Cal 3, Washington 0
No. 1: Jordan Anderson-Kimmy Gardiner (UW) def. Jessica Gaffney-Mima Mirkovic, 21-14, 21-8
No. 2: Iya Lindahl-Alexia Inman (Cal) def. Courtney Schwan-Destiny Julye, 24-22, 26-24
No. 3: Carly Dehoog-Shayne McPherson (UW) def. Bryce Bark-Madison Dueck, 21-15, 21-12
No. 4: Mia Merino-Caroline Schafer (Cal) def. Anna Crabtree-Kara Bajema, 21-18, 22-20
No. 5: Grace Campbell-Maddie Micheletti (Cal) def. Natalie Robinson-Sam Drechel, 21-17, 21-17
 
No. 5 USC 5, Cal 0
No. 1: Tina Graudina-Abril Bustamante (USC) def. Jessica Gaffney-Mima Mirkovic, 21-15, 21-18
No. 2: Terese Cannnon-Sammy Slater (USC) def. Iya Lindahl-Alexia Inman, 21-7, 21-13
No. 3: Joy Dennis-Cammie Dorn (USC) def. Bryce Bark-Madison Dueck, 21-9, 18-21, 15-6
No. 4: Jenna Belton-Maja Kaiser (USC) def. Mia Merino-Caroline Schafer, 21-12, 21-16
No. 5: Alexandria Poletto-Haley Hallgren (USC) def. Grace Campbel-Maddie Micheletti, 21-17, 13-21, 15-10