GULF SHORES, Ala. – The No. 8 California beach volleyball team extended it season in dramatic fashion Friday, getting past No. 9 Long Beach State 3-2 after a thrilling three-set victory on Court 4 lifted the Golden Bears to victory in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Championship.

Cal's No. 4 pair of senior Gia Fisher and junior Ava Haughy overcame three LBSU match points to ultimately pull out a 15-21, 21-19, 18-16 victory to set off a memorable Golden Bear celebration.

Cal's No. 1 pair of senior Portia Sherman and junior Emma Donley and No. 3 duo of seniors Mila Vugrincic and Jenna Colligan also registered victories for the Golden Bears, who advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals against No. 1 seed and rival Stanford at 9 a.m. CT/7 a.m. PT. Sherman and Donley dropped the first set only to come back for a 21-23, 21-15, 15-11 win. Vugrincic and Colligan breezed to a 21-18, 21-10 triumph.

Fisher and Haughy fell behind 5-1 in the third set with the dual tied 2-2 before clawing back to take a 9-8 lead. After the pair extended its advantage to 12-10, the 49ers called timeout and proceeded to score four unanswered points to give themselves double dual point at 14-12. The Bears responded with three straight points of their own, and the pairs then went back and forth before a hitting error gave Cal the victory.

It marked the third time in their five-year NCAA Championship run that the Bears have won a first-round dual and advanced to the quarterfinals. Each of its previous opening round wins also came over Long Beach State.

The Bears and Cardinal have met twice this season, with Stanford registering a 3-2 victory each time. In their most recent matchup during the final weekend of the regular season, the decision came down to a tight showdown on Court 3 which the Cardinal ultimately won, 19-21, 21-18, 15-13.

 
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
FIRST ROUND
No. 8 California 3, No. 9 Long Beach State 2
No.1: Portia Sherman/Emma Donley (Cal) def. Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah, 21-23, 21-15, 15-11
No. 2: Tineke Hinton/Demi Wagdy (LBSU) def. Marilu Pally/Grace Hong, 19-21, 21-17, 15-10
No. 3: Mila Vugrincic/Jenna Colligan (Cal) def. Kiara Edwards/Mahala Esser, 21-18, 21-10
No. 4: Gia Fisher/Ava Haughy (Cal) def. Victoria Henkel/Savannah Standage, 15-21, 21-19, 18-16
No. 5: Kealoha Phillips/Brooke Birch (LBSU) def. Bella Adishian/Mila Yarich, 21-13, 19-21, 15-9



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