Stanford beach volleyball (4-5) hosts its second two-day tournament of the season this weekend, where it will take on Boise State and Arizona State on Saturday as well as Oregon and St. Mary’s on Sunday.
(KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/stanfordphoto.com)
The Cardinal have had a mixed season so far, as the regular season comes to a close and the team sets their eyes on the upcoming conference and NCAA tournaments.
Despite having just started competition last week, the Broncos won all three of their games so far, one of which being a 3-2 victory against Stanford on Sunday at the Oregon Tournament.
After beating Oregon and Portland earlier in the weekend, the match against Boise State did not go as well for the Cardinal. The No. 4 and No. 5 pairs – Tami Alade and Karina Robinson and Courtney Bowen and Jenn DiSanto, respectively – both lost, while Merete Lutz and Halland McKenna pulled out a three-set win at the No. 3 spot. The Broncos earned their third win, clinching the match, as Ivana Vanjak and Catherine Raquel lost in straight sets, though the Cardinal won a consolation point as Hayley Hodson and Payton Chang swept their opponents at the No. 1 spot.
Afterwards, the team will be playing against Arizona State (7-7), marking the first meeting between these teams.
Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follette, who have amassed a 9-7 record together, lead the team at the No. 1 spot, though the team has some depth elsewhere, particularly the No. 5 spot duo of Frances Giedraitis and Logan Rae, who boast a 4-1 record.
On Sunday, Stanford will start off with a match against Oregon, which Stanford beat last weekend in a 3-2 victory that featured wins from Hodson/Chang, Lutz/McKenna and Bowen/DiSanto. Like Boise State, Oregon has only played in a single tournament so far this season.
The Cardinal will play St. Mary’s (7-2) to conclude the tournament in what is likely to be the team’s toughest matchup. The two teams met at the first Stanford Tournament on March 6, where Stanford faced a 4-1 defeat.
On Saturday Stanford will face Boise State at noon and Arizona Sate at 3 p.m., before finishing up on Sunday with Oregon at 11:30 a.m. and Saint Mary’s at 2:30 p.m. The tournament will be played at Stanford’s Sand Volleyball Stadium.
Contact Laura Sussman at [email protected].