TUCSON, Ariz. — Santa Clara beach volleyball lost both duals during the second and final day of the Wildcat Spring Challenge on Saturday. The Broncos fell 3-2 against NAIA Ottawa and 5-0 against No. 13 Arizona.
The Broncos (2-12) cap their Arizona trip on Sunday with a matchup at No. 15 Grand Canyon. First serve is set for 11 a.m.
The Spirit (18-3) clinched the dual in a close match at No. 4; Gianna Kioa/Emily Morris outlasted Liliana Light/Brittany Gillingham 19-21, 21-18, 15-9.
Chloe Loreen/Alex Anthony extended their Santa Clara lead with their sixth match win of the season overall and fourth at the No. 2 position. They bested Ottawa's Valerie Rodgers/Mikelle Taylor 21-10, 21-16. Kathryn Decker/Gretchen Reinert picked up their first match win as a pair by winning 21-16, 16-21, 15-12 at No. 3 over Ashleigh Atsaros/Alyssa Dincoff.
The Wildcats (21-4) extended their winning streak to 11 duals with the win over Santa Clara. Arizona won all four duals as host of the event and dropped only two sets.
"The amount of elite beach volleyball knowledge the team has acquired in eight weeks is impressive," associate head coach Jeff Alzina said. "Our learning curve is steep and we continue to improve. New Mexico and Arizona were great challenges for our program and we played them well. The dual loss to Ottawa was disappointing. I felt we could have won the matches at the fours or fives and sealed the dual."
OTTAWA 3 SANTA CLARA 2
1. Viri Serrano/Andrea Gonzalez (OTT) def. Michelle Gajdka/Anna McCreadie (SCU) 21-5, 21-16
2. Alex Anthony/Chloe Loreen (SCU) def. Valerie Rodgers/Mikelle Taylor (OTT) 21-10, 21-16
3. Kathryn Decker/Gretchen Reinert (SCU) def. Ashleigh Atsaros/Alyssa Dincoff (OTT) 21-16, 16-21, 15-12
4. Gianna Kioa/Emily Morris (OTT) def. Liliana Light/Brittany Gillingham (SCU) 19-21, 21-18, 15-9
5. Jessica Youngberg/Mariah Clausen (OTT) def. Alexa Dreyer/Natalia Rentsch (SCU) 21-11, 23-21
NO. 13 ARIZONA 5 SANTA CLARA 0
1. Olivia Hallaran/Mia Mason (ARIZ) def. Michelle Gajdka/Anna McCreadie (SCU) 21-13, 21-8
2. Jonny Baham/Brooke Burling (ARIZ) def. Kathryn Decker/Gretchen Reinert (SCU) 21-11, 21-9
3. Natalie Anselmo/Madison Rigdon (ARIZ) def. Alex Anthony/Chloe Loreen (SCU) 21-14, 21-14
4. Sarah Blacker/Jasmine Safar (ARIZ) def. Brittany Gillingham/Liliana Light (SCU) 21-15, 21-13
5. Dana Parker/Ainise Havili (ARIZ) def. Alexa Dreyer/Natalia Rentsch (SCU) 21-16, 21-12
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