NO. 10 CAL (19-7) AT PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP
APRIL 25-27 | MERLE NORMAN STADIUM | LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
PAC-12 NETWORKS

With the conclusion of the regular season, the No. 10 Cal Beach Volleyball team now sets its sights on the Pac-12 Championship. Cal enters the tournament as the 3-seed and will face Arizona State in the tournament's opening match. The Bears finished the regular season on a high note, defeating No. 7 Cal Poly and No. 20 Stanford which garnered the Bears an all-time high AVCA ranking of No. 10 in the country. The Bears hope this momentum can carry into the Pac-12 Championships.

CAL ENTERS PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP AS THE 3-SEED
With the conclusion of the regular season, the Bears turn their attention now towards the Pac-12 Championship which starts on Thursday and is being hosted by the University of Southern California. Cal enters the tournament as the 3-seed and will play 6-seed Arizona State in the first round at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The tournament is a double-elimination format with multiple duals slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Cal hopes to improve on last year's third place finish but to do so will likely need to get past No. 2 USC and No. 1 UCLA in the later rounds. 

INMAN AND MERINO NAMED PAC-12 PAIR OF THE WEEK
For their work in defeating No. 7 Cal Poly and No. 20 Stanford, sophomore Alexia Inman and senior Mia Merino were named the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week. This was the first win for both Inman and Merino and the first win for a Cal pair this season. Inman and Merino were honored for their play at the No. 4 position, where they defeated Cal Poly 21-17, 21-17 and Stanford 21-16, 13-21, 15-7. This was the first week Inman and Merino have been paired together all year. 

BEARS EARN ALL-TIME HIGH RANKINGS
After two more wins against ranked opponents, Cal earned its highest rankings in program history. The Bears are now No. 7 in the country according to DiG Magazine and No. 10 according to the AVCA. This marks the first time Cal has ever cracked the top-10 by AVCA. 

BEARS UNSEAT TOP-10 TEAM FOR SECOND TIME IN TWO WEEKS
One week after taking down No 9. Long Beach State, Cal defeated its second top-10 opponent in as many weeks. The Bears bested No. 7 Cal Poly with exceptional play from the bottom of the line up. After Cal's No. 1 and No. 2 pairs lost in the first flight of matches, the Bears needed a clean sweep from pairs 3-5 in the second flight. They got just that, with the bottom three pairs taking all of their matches in two sets. The victory was Cal's third in team history against a top-10 opponent.  

BEARS FINISH REGULAR SEASON WITH SHUTOUT OF STANFORD
Cal finished its season-long dominance over Stanford with a commanding 5-0 sweep of the Cardinal. This was the first regular season sweep Cal completed over its rivals in program history. Cal could still theoretically improve its record against the Cardinal as the two teams could meet for a fourth and final time at the upcoming Pac-12 Championship tournament. 

NEW BEACH COURTS PLANNED FOR 2020
Cal beach volleyball will soon have a new facility to call home under a plan announced by Chancellor Christ in the summer of 2018. Construction is expected to begin this June and be completed by the end of the calendar year, allowing the Golden Bears to compete on the new courts for the 2020 season. The beach volleyball facility will remain on the Clark Kerr Campus, moving to a new location near the intersection of Sports Lane and Dwight Way. It will feature four sand courts, as well as permanent 

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE
• The Sun Devils enter the Pac-12 Championship tournament as the 6th seed after going 12-11 on the season.
• Arizona State went 1-2 at the Pac-12 Championship last year.
• Cal defeated Arizona State 5-0 in the teams' only meeting this year. 
• The Sun Devils received votes but were unranked in the most recent AVCA poll.