Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
LARKSPUR, Calif. – The Stanford beach volleyball team dropped a 4-1 decision to San Francisco on Thursday, falling to 2-3 on the season.
“With a long break after our opening weekend, it was nice to get back on the sand and compete again,” said head coach Denise Corlett. “I felt our top three pairs performed very well, and we are looking forward to getting some wins under our belts in Oregon this weekend.”
USF took the upper hand in the first round of games with a pair of 2-0 wins. Stanford's number five pair of Alexis Froistad and Karina Robinson fell, 21-12, 21-12, while Courtney Bowen and Jennifer DiSanto lost, 21-15, 21-13, in the number four spot.
Merete Lutz and Halland McKenna, Stanford's number three pair, fought off three match points in the second set before dropping the game, 21-19, 26-24, allowing the Dons to clinch the match at 3-0.
Stanford's top pair of Hayley Hodson and Payton Chang won their match in straight sets, 21-19, 21-15. Ivana Vanjak and Catherine Raquel rebounded from an opening-set loss to dominate the second set, 21-7, before falling short in the final set, 15-11.
Tami Alade and Karina Robinson participated in an exhibition match, prevailing 21-18, 20-22, 15-13.
The Cardinal returns to action this weekend when it travels to Portland, Oregon, to participate in a tournament hosted by Oregon. Stanford will play Oregon at 12 p.m. PT and Portland at 4 p.m. on Saturday before facing off with Boise State at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
USF 4, Stanford 1
1. Hodson/Chang (Stan) def. Staengle/Okaro (USF) 21-19, 21-15
2. Vlasic/Pilepic (USF) def. Vanjak/Raquel (Stan) 21-18, 7-21, 15-11
3. Sabahi/Reed (USF) def. Lutz/McKenna (Stan) 21-19, 26-24
4. McKibben/Gaffney (USF) def. Bowen/DiSanto (Stan) 21-15, 21-13
5. Gutierrez/Keenan (USF) def. Froistad/Robinson(Stan) 21-12, 21-12
Exh. Alade/Robinson (Stan) def. Miller/Hirotsu (USF) 21-18, 20-22, 15-13