BERKELEY – California beach volleyball opened the Bay Area Classic with two wins on Saturday at Clark Kerr Sand Courts. The Bears opened their 2020 home slate with 5-0 victories over both Utah and UC Davis.

Last season, Cal went 6-0 at home and they continued that momentum in the first two matches of 2020. The Bears rebounded from splitting their two matches last weekend with a dominant display as they did not lose a set.

"We definitely had an improved performance when compared with last weekend," acting head coach Derek Olson said. "We practiced hard this week, focusing on defensive mentality and being gritty. It was evident today that we worked on it. The team responded well to what we talked about; they stayed focused and played with confidence. We're looking for more of the same tomorrow. It doesn't matter how good you can be, it's how consistently you can be good. Tomorrow is that test. We had a great day, but we're looking be consistent and do that again tomorrow."

The Bay Area Classic will continue tomorrow as the Bears take on #19 Arizona State and Pacific at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts.
 

#11 Cal (5) def. Utah (0)

Cal opened the day with a morning meeting with their Pac-12 rival, Utah. Cal started quickly and never let up.

Jacqueline Ribeiro and Chloe Luyties got the Bears started off right, as they dominated on the fifth pair. The duo rolled to a straight-set victory, 21-9, 21-9. Cal added another victory at the fourth pair as Ainsley Radell and Maddie Micheletti put the Bears up 2-0 by winning 21-15, 21-11.

Alexia Inman and Madison Dueck secured the match on the third court. The pair picked up their third win of the season in as many attempts. However, it didn't come easily. After winning the first set 21-15, Dueck and Inman trailed Keana Smalls and Madelyn Robinson 19-16 in the second set. However, the Bears rolled off three straight points to tie the game at 19. Utah scored the next point, to bring Utah to the verge of forcing a third set, However, Cal rolled off the next three points to secure the victory and the match.

"Lex and Dueck continue to play really well together, they're really connected and playing cohesively," Olson said. "We moved them up in the lineup and they continued their hot streak with two impressive matches."

Caroline Schafer and Jordan Polo added another win for the Bears as they won 21-12, 21-12 on the second court. Mima Mirkovic and Jordan Polo closed out the sweep by winning at the top spot, 21-8,

#1 - Iya Lindahl/Mima Mirkovic (Cal) def. Mckenna Granato/Tiyana Hallums (Utah) – 21-8, 21-11
#2 – Jordan Polo/Caroline Schafer (Cal) def. Lauren Sproule/Jessica Villela (Utah) – 21-12, 21-12
#3 – Madison Dueck/Alexia Inman (Cal) def. Keana Smalls/Madelyn Robinson (Utah) – 21-15, 22-20
#4 – Ainsley Radell/Maddie Micheletti (Cal) def. Sommer Daniel/Kinga Windisch (Utah) – 21-15, 21-11
#5 – Chloe Luyties/Jacqueline Ribeiro (Cal) def. Leah Schmidt/Olivia Teerlink (Utah) – 21-9, 21-9

#11 Cal (5) def. UC Davis (0)

The second matchup of the day showcased the Bears taking on UC Davis. Cal started quickly and never let up, dominating up-and-down the lineup to securing their second victory of the day.

Ribeiro and Luyties started strongly again, winning 21-6, 21-11 on court five, pushing their point totals to 84-35 on the day. The Bears also performed well at the third pair as Dueck and Inman moved to 4-0 on the season, the only undefeated pair in Cal's lineup.

Radell and Micheletti clinched the match on court three after a back-and-forth first set which saw the Bears prevail 23-21. The momentum they gained from the win helped propel them to a 21-16 victory in the second set. Mirkovic and Lindahl won 42-20 across two sets to push the overall score to 4-0. Polo and Schafer finished out the match with a 21-15, 21-8 win to clinch the sweep.

#1 - Iya Lindahl/Mima Mirkovic (Cal) def. Jane Seslar/Paloma Bowman (UCD) – 21-6, 21-14
#2 – Jordan Polo/Caroline Schafer (Cal) def. Savanah Schroeder/Chelsea Meglin (UCD) – 21-15, 21-8
#3 – Madison Dueck/Alexia Inman (Cal) def. Heather Reed/Megan Luly (UCD) – 21-10, 21-13
#4 – Ainsley Radell/Maddie Micheletti (Cal) def. Rose Holscher/Alexa Rockas (UCD) – 23-21, 21-16
#5 – Chloe Luyties/Jacqueline Ribeiro (Cal) def. Demari Webb/Madelin Smith (UCD) – 21-6, 21-11