BVB4/28/2023 9:05 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Bears Place 2nd At Pac-12 Championship
Third-Seeded Cal Falls To Top-Seeded UCLA
STANFORD – An incredible run for the third-seeded California beach volleyball team came to end Saturday, as the Golden Bears split a pair of matches at the Pac-12 Championship. Cal topped fourth-seeded Stanford 3-0 in the morning to advance to the tournament final for the first time, but fell to first-seeded UCLA 3-0.
Following the final match,
Ainsley Radell,
Ashley Delgado,
Liz Waters-Leiga, and
Sierra Caffo were named to the All-Tournament Team. This is the third-straight recognition for Radell and the second for Delgado.
No. 3 Cal 3, No. 4 Stanford 0
Championship Friday began with the fourth meeting of the season between the Bears and Cardinals. After falling to rival Stanford for the first time this season last weekend, Cal got its revenge and made quick work of the host team.
The even pairs took the sand first and both came up clutch for their team earning three-set wins. The court two pair of Radell and Delgado grabbed the first set of the dual 21-15, but the Cardinal forced the tiebreaker with a 21-16 win in set two. The court four team of senior
Lexi McKeown and sophomore
Ella Dreibholz fell 21-17 in the first frame and battled back to tie it with a 21-18 win in the second.
Just like yesterday's win over USC, the two even pairs closed out their matches within a minute of each other. The 4's earned a 15-8 win and the 2's took it 15-11 to give the Bears a 2-0 lead.
On court one junior
Liz Waters-Leiga and sophomore
Sierra Caffo had a gritty, back-and-forth match, but emerged victorious 21-19, 22-20 to seal the dual.
1
Sierra Caffo and
Liz Waters-Leiga (Cal) def. Xolani Hodel and Maddi Kriz (STAN ) 21-19 22-20
2
Ashley Delgado and
Ainsley Radell (Cal) def. Charlie Ekstrom and Maya Harvey (STAN) 21-15 16-21 15-11
3 Kate Reilly and Emmy Sharp (STAN ) vs.
Maya Gessner and
Gia Fisher (Cal) 16-19
4
Lexi McKeown and
Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. Kelly Belardi and Ashley Vincent (STAN ) 17-21 21-18 15-8
5 Line Andersson and Daria Gusarova (STAN ) vs.
Brooke Buchner and
Alex Young-Gomez (Cal) 17-19 Order of Finish: 4,2,1
No. 1 UCLA 3, No. 3 Cal 0
The even pairs took the courts to start the championship final and the nation's top team proved its might, taking courts two and four to gain a 2-0 lead.
The court three pair of junior
Maya Gessner and freshman
Gia Fisher earned the only set win of the dual taking the first 21-18 and held a 13-11 lead in the second before the match finished.
After falling 21-9 in the first frame, the court five team of junior
Brooke Buchner and sophomore Alex Young battled back to make the second set a much closer contest but fell 21-18 to end the dual.
1 Kelli Greene-Agnew and Lexy Denaburg (UCLA) vs.
Sierra Caffo and
Liz Waters-Leiga (Cal) 21-19 16-13
2 Peri Brennan and Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def.
Ashley Delgado and
Ainsley Radell (Cal) 21-12 21-13
3 Rileigh Powers and Haley Hallgren (UCLA) vs.
Maya Gessner and
Gia Fisher (Cal) 18-21 11-13
4 Jessie Smith and Marlie Monserez (UCLA) def.
Lexi McKeown and
Ella Dreibholz (Cal) 21-16 21-18
5 Jaden Whitmarsh and Devon Newberry (UCLA) def.
Brooke Buchner and
Alex Young-Gomez (Cal) 21-9 21-18
Order of Finish: 2,3,1
Up Next
Cal will now wait for Sunday's NCAA Selection Show to see which team it will face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The show begins at 8:00 a.m. PT on NCAA.com.
