WCC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | DAY 1 RESULTS
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Santa Clara beach volleyball defeated Portland twice on Friday at the West Coast Conference Championships to advance to day two of the tournament played at the Ocean Park Beach Courts. The fourth-seeded Broncos will face the third-seeded Saint Mary's on Saturday at 9 a.m. in an elimination match.
The Broncos played three matches on the day, with the pair against Portland book ending the match against top-seeded LMU.
SCU won the morning contest against the Pilots 4-1, lost to LMU 5-0 and closed out with another 4-1 victory over the Pilots in the late afternoon.
With the two wins, the Broncos have now won 12 matches on the year, the most in program history. The previous high was 11 wins in 2016.
MATCH 1: No. 4 seed Santa Clara 4 – No. 5 seed Portland 1
Playing the first match of the day, Santa Clara (11-17) defeated Portland 4-1 with the match clincher coming courtesy of Alexia Inman and Claire Doud over Sarah Strong and Sophie Lee 24-22, 21-11 at No. 3.
The Broncos got off to a strong start to their tournament picking up the first two wins at No. 5 and at No. 1.
At No. 5, Jordan Bennett and Alexia Gallegos easily deposed Talyn Jackson and Lia Hawken 21-13, 21-12. Atop the lineup, Julia Sangiacomo and Michelle Shaffer were pushed in the first set but pulled out a straight set victory over Grace Zilbert and Charity Bradley 25-23, 21-16.
The Portland (6-16) tandem of Noelani Helm and Taylor Helle temporily halted the Bronco momentum at No. 2 with a 21-16, 21-14 win over Elena Radeff and Alexie Epstein to get a team point on the scoreboard to make it 2-1 in favor of the Broncos.
However, the Inman and Doud pairing closed things out for SCU with their straight set victory to clinch the match, setting up an afternoon matchup against the No. 1 seed LMU.
1. Julia Sangiacomo/Michelle Shaffer (SCUBVB) def. Grace Zilbert/Charity Bradley (POR) 25-23, 21-16
2. Noelani Helm/Taylor Helle (POR) def. Elena Radeff/Alexie Epstein (SCUBVB) 21-16, 21-14
3. Alexia Inman/Claire Doud (SCUBVB) def. Sarah Strong/Sophie Lee (POR) 24-22, 21-11
4. Sophia Tulino/Casey Campbell (SCUBVB) def. Annika Stammberger/Keilani Mumolo (POR) 11-21, 21-18, 15-8
5. Jordan Bennett/Alexia Gallegos (SCUBVB) def. Talyn Jackson/Lia Hawken (POR) 21-13, 21-12
Match Notes
Santa Clara 11-17
Portland 6-16
Order of finish: Doubles (5,1,2,3,4);
MATCH 2: No. 1 seed LMU 5 – No. 4 seed Santa Clara 0
Top-seeded LMU (27-7), coming in ranked No. 5 nationally, flexed its muscle to win all five matches against Santa Clara (11-18) to end the Broncos season.
The Lions won all their matches in straight sets with the match clincher coming at No. 2 where Avery Poppinga and Marine Kinna downed Elena Radeff and Alexie Epstein 21-19, 21-12.
At No. 1, the Bronco tandem of Sangiacomo and Shaffer nearly pushed the match to a third set but lost 21-15, 26-24 to Megan Rice and Reka Orsi Toth.
1. Megan Rice/Reka Orsi Toth (LMUBVB) def. Julia Sangiacomo/Michelle Shaffer (SCUBVB) 21-15, 26-24
2. Avery Poppinga/Marine Kinna (LMUBVB) def. Elena Radeff/Alexie Epstein (SCUBVB) 21-19, 21-12
3. Vilhelmiina Prihti/Macy Gordon (LMUBVB) def. Alexia Inman/Claire Doud (SCUBVB) 21-15, 21-17
4. Selina Marolf/Abbey Thorup (LMUBVB) def. Sophia Tulino/Casey Campbell (SCUBVB) 21-6, 21-12
5. Jacinda Ramirez/Isabelle Reffel (LMUBVB) def. Jordan Bennett/Alexia Gallegos (SCUBVB) 21-15, 21-10
Match Notes
Santa Clara 11-18
LMU 27-7; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (4,5,2,3,1);
MATCH 3: No. 4 seed Santa Clara 4 – No. 5 seed Portland 1
Santa Clara (12-18) staved off elimination with another 4-1 win over Portland but this one was closer than the morning contest. With the Broncos ahead 2-1, the match came down to No. 1 and No. 4 pairings that went three sets.
The match clincher came at No. 4, where Sophia Tulino and Casey Campbell defeated Annika Stammberger and Keilani Mumolo 21-12, 17-21, 15-12 just ahead of the victory by Sangiacomo and Shaffer atop the lineup over Zilbert and Bradley 21-11, 16-21, 16-14.
1. Julia Sangiacomo/Michelle Shaffer (SCUBVB) def. Grace Zilbert/Charity Bradley (POR) 21-11, 16-21, 16-14
2. Noelani Helm/Taylor Helle (POR) def. Elena Radeff/Alexie Epstein (SCUBVB) 21-15, 21-16
3. Alexia Inman/Claire Doud (SCUBVB) def. Sarah Strong/Sophie Lee (POR) 21-12, 21-9
4. Sophia Tulino/Casey Campbell (SCUBVB) def. Annika Stammberger/Keilani Mumolo (POR) 21-12, 17-21, 15-12
5. Jordan Bennett/Alexia Gallegos (SCUBVB) def. Talyn Jackson/Lia Hawken (POR) 21-14, 23-21
Match Notes
Santa Clara 12-18
Portland 7-17
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,5,4,1);
NEXT UP
The Broncos face Saint Mary's for the fourth time this season on Saturday at 9 a.m. in day two of the WCC Championships for a chance to advance to the semifinals. Follow the action on live stream and live stats.