HONOLULU – The No. 9 California beach volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a pair of narrow losses Thursday, falling to No. 2 Stanford and No. 7 Loyola Marymount by identical 3-2 scores at the Outrigger DUKE Kahanamoku Beach Classic.

The Golden Bears, looking for a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship this season, demonstrated immediately that they can play with some of the top teams in the nation. In addition to their two match victories against LMU, they pushed another one to three sets before falling.

Cal's No. 1 pair of Emma Donley and Portia Sherman – who last season became the program's first-ever AVCA First Team All-Americans after setting the team's single-season wins record with 28 – got the season off to a strong start with victories in both duals. The duo defeated Stanford's Kelly Belardi and Ruby Sorra 21-19, 21-15 before taking down LMU's Tanon Rosenthal and Anna Pelloia 17-21, 21-18, 15-13.

Senior Gia Fisher, who was an All-MPSF Second Team pick last year, teamed up with transfer Ava Haughy to also register a pair of match victories. Playing on the No. 3 court, Fisher and Haughy defeated the Cardinal's Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell 18-21, 21-18, 15-13 and then got by the Lions' Chloe Hooker and Jaeya Brach 21-13, 15-21, 15-11.

Redshirt freshman Savanna Lau and transfer Elle Evers played together on the No. 5 court in each's Cal debut and pushed LMU's Ellie Davis and Katie McAlister to the limit before dropping a 19-21, 21-12, 15-9 decision.

The Bears continue play in the tournament Friday with duals against No. 6 Texas and No. 4 USC.

 
No. 2 Stanford 3, No. 9 California 2
No. 1: Emma Donley/Portia Sherman (Cal) def. Kelly Belardi/Ruby Sorra, 21-19, 21-15
No. 2: Avery Jackson/Brooke Rockwell (Stan) def. Mila Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan, 21-15, 21-15
No. 3: Gia Fisher/Ava Haughy (Cal) def. Indigo Clarke/Clara Stowell, 18-21, 21-18, 15-13
No. 4: Charlotta Bell/Daria Gusarova (Stan) def. Grace Hong/Mila Yarich, 21-11, 21-18
No. 5: Elena Fisher/Chloe Hoffman (Stan) def. Elle Evers/Savanna Lau, 21-12, 21-18
 
No. 7 Loyola Marymount 3, No. 9 California 2
No. 1: Emma Donley/Portia Sherman (Cal) def. Tanon Rosenthal/Anna Pelloia, 17-21, 21-18, 15-13
No. 2: Magdalena Rabitsch/Ines Piret (LMU) def. Mila Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan, 21-11, 21-12
No. 3: Gia Fisher/Ava Haughy (Cal) def. Chloe Hooker/Jaeya Brach, 21-13, 15-21, 15-11
No. 4: Maja Kruczek/Josefine Schaelkel (LMU) def. Grace Hong/Mila Yarich, 21-19, 21-15
No. 5: Ellie Davis/Katie McAlister (LMU) def. Elle Evers/Savanna Lau, 19-21, 21-12, 15-9