Stanford Seashore Volleyball’s historic NCAA run ends in quarterfinals

Regardless of solely claiming third place within the Pac-12 Event, No. 9 Stanford (29-13, 3-4 Pac 12) have been granted a spot within the NCAA Event for the third consecutive yr. The Cardinal impressed of their first match with a 3-2 win towards No. 6 Grand Canyon College (26-8, 0-0 CCSA) however their run was minimize brief after falling to No. 2 TCU (37-3, 5-0 CCSA) in Gulf Shores, Ala. 

Stanford had confidence heading into the primary spherical of the match, particularly contemplating that they have been set to play GCU, who that they had crushed 4-1 within the common season. Juniors Emmy Sharp and Kate Reilly set the tone early, profitable their duel 21-17, 21-17. Nonetheless, this momentum didn’t final as Pac-12 first staff members junior Xolani Hodel and senior Maddi Kritz narrowly misplaced 22-20, 22-20 to a powerful GCU pair. Junior Maya Harvey and fifth-year Charlie Ekstrom additionally felt the warmth in Alabama, shedding a forwards and backwards contest 13-21, 21-12, 15-9. 

No matter these losses, the Cardinal confirmed their resilience and dedication as the brand new pairing of sophomore Taylor Wilson and freshman Daria Gusarova clinched a 3 set victory to attract the groups even. All consideration turned to court docket 4 as the outstanding freshman duo of Kelly Belardi and Ashley Vincent battled to safe Stanford’s first-ever win at an NCAA match. With the remainder of the staff watching eagerly from the sidelines, Belardi and Vincent pulled off an impressive victory, catapulting the Cardinal into the NCAA quarterfinals. Not solely did this mark a milestone in this system’s historical past, however it additionally marked this pairing’s twenty eighth victory this yr, cementing their place within the document books for essentially the most wins in a single season in class historical past.

On Saturday, Stanford confronted off towards TCU within the quarterfinals. Regardless of their finest efforts, the Cardinal have been unable to safe a win, shedding all three matches to the Horned Frogs. Sharp and Reilly, although profitable on day one, have been defeated in two units. Hodel and Kriz confronted off in one other shut sport, shedding 21-18, 21-17 this time. Wilson and Gusarova, paired for simply the third time this season, put up a powerful combat towards TCU, stretching the match to a few after dominating set two. The scores got here out to 14–21, 21-12, and 15-12. The remaining pairings, Harvey/Ekstrom and Belardi/Vincent, didn’t end their video games resulting from their teammates ending earlier than them.

Whereas this marks the tip of the season for Stanford, it can go down in program historical past for breaking information. The Cardinal went 29-12 on the season, good for the very best document in staff historical past. Vincent, a freshman, received 31 occasions this yr, setting the document for essentially the most wins by a person throughout the season. Ekstrom completed her time as a Stanford athlete this weekend, having received a powerful 82 video games as a Cardinal. General, it was an exceptional season for Stanford Seashore Volleyball.