Seaside volleyball takes second at Outrigger Basic

No. 7 Stanford seaside volleyball (4-2, 0-0 Pac-12) claimed second place on Saturday within the workforce’s season opener on the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Seaside Basic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Cardinal began off the event in a spherical robin in opposition to No. 1 UCLA (6-0, 0-0 Pac-12), Saint Mary’s (2-5, 0-0 WCC), Stephen F. Austin (0-5, 0-0 SBC) and No. 10 Hawaii (3-3, 0-0 BWC). The workforce defeated Hawaii within the semifinals to advance to the championship match, which it misplaced 4-1 to UCLA.

The primary day was successful for the Cardinal, starting with a 4-1 win over Stephen F. Austin. Senior Maddi Kriz—who reached her fiftieth win with the Cardinal—and junior Maya Harvey succeeded 21-12, 21-7 within the second slot. Of their first collegiate match, freshmen Ashley Vincent and Kelly Belardi had been additionally victorious, defeating Stephen F. Austin 21-14, 21-12 because the fourth pair. Sophie Kubiak, additionally a freshman, collected her first faculty victory alongside junior Emmy Sharp, beating the Lumberjacks 21-18, 21-16, as fifth-year Charlie Ekstrom and junior Kate Reilly introduced in one other win for the Cardinal, 21-12, 21-17. This additionally marked Ekstrom’s sixtieth profession victory, tying her for the second highest variety of wins of any seaside volleyball athlete in Cardinal historical past.

Stanford then secured a 3-2 victory over Hawaii. Ekstrom and Reilly triumphed 22-20 in a decent first set, adopted by a 21-12 win within the second. Vincent and Belardi continued to shine, defeating Hawaii 21-19, 21-14. The third pairing of sophomores Emma Morris and Taylor Wilson got here out on high after a three-set battle, profitable 21-14, 16-21, 15-12.

Stanford started the second day with a decent 3-2 loss to UCLA, the event favorites. Vincent and Belardi impressed with a 21-16, 21-12 win on courtroom 4, however it was not sufficient to safe the victory as UCLA gained matches on courts one, three and 5. Nevertheless, Kriz and Harvey managed to submit a robust efficiency on courtroom two, coming back from a one set deficit to beat the top-ranked workforce. 

Stanford responded nicely to this slim defeat of their subsequent matchup in opposition to Saint Mary’s, as they dominated the Gaels 4-1. Vincent and Belardi continued their unbeaten streak profitable 21-2, 21-13 whereas Kubiak and Sharp additionally gained in straight units on courtroom 5, 21-10, 21-10. The efforts of Ekstrom and Reilly on courtroom three ended the twin on a excessive observe because the Cardinal concluded day two with a 3-1 file in spherical robin play. 

Saturday afternoon noticed a Stanford-Hawaii rematch within the semifinals during which the Cardinal knocked out the house workforce, 3-2. Wilson and freshman Line Andersson on courtroom three had been pressured to a few units, however managed to shut it out 15-21, 21-18, 15-9. Equally, on courtroom 5, Kubiak together with her new accomplice, freshman Phoenix Clarke, got here again from a 18-21 loss within the first set to win the following two 21-14, 15-12 and clinch a spot within the championship sport. Stanford would face the Bruins as soon as once more. 

Sadly, the Cardinal had been unable to avenge their earlier loss to UCLA because the Bruins claimed the ultimate match 4-1. UCLA swept the Cardinal on each courtroom apart from courtroom 4, the place Vincent and Belardi firmly held their floor, extending their win streak to 6, 21-18, 21-16. Whereas Stanford needed to accept second place, Ekstrom was celebrated with the event’s award for finest blocker.