LOS GATOS, Calif. - Santa Clara beach volleyball began the first of back-to-back days of matches with a commanding 4-1 victory over crosstown rival San José State Thursday afternoon at Los Gatos High School.
The Broncos (6-1) won for the fifth-straight time and snapped a three-match winning streak for the Spartans (6-9).
The No. 2 pairing of Danielle Rottman and Nikki Hess got the Broncos off to a strong start on the afternoon by sweeping their two sets against San José State's Jamie Hirai and Allison Meehan.
After a convincing 21-12 victory in the first set, Rottman/Hess had to battle to take home the second set. They built an 18-13 lead, only to see that quickly erased to a 20-19 deficit, before rallying to win the final three points, capped off by a Hess block to complete the set and sweep 22-20.
Hailey Lindberg, thrust into just her second official collegiate match of the season, had a tremendous performance along with Sarah Vaccaro at the No. 3 pairing, winning 21-16, 21-23, 15-11 against Lyndi Scholl and Tyanna Roy.
"For Hailey Lindberg to step into the three spot and pair with Sarah and get a win was awesome," head coach Aaron Mansfield said. "Sarah obviously does a really good job of directing traffic when she's playing and to play with a freshman and guide Hailey through that match was huge, and Hailey came up with some really key blocks and kills at the end to get the win."
The Broncos also got strong performances from their No. 4 pairing of Lacey Maas and Jensen Cunningham, which improved to 5-2 on the season by clinching the match with a 26-24, 21-17 victory against Julia Golbeck and Luiza Andrade, and from the No. 5 spot where Madison Dutra and Mary Shepherd won 25-23, 19-21, 15-3. In the third set, Dutra/Shepherd jumped out to a dominant 11-1 lead before closing it out 15-3 on a Dutra ace vs. Julie Sam and Nandyala Gama.
"They're our most mentally tough team and the team that they beat was really good," Mansfield said of Dutra/Shepherd. "Madison and Mary continue to be a reflection of our whole team on how to compete. They're very consistent with their approach; it doesn't matter what the score or situation is, they go about their business the same way every time and it really helps with their performance. I'm super proud of them and that was probably their best win of the season."
Sabrina Clayton and Kirsten Mead battled at the No. 1 spot but fell 21-13, 21-17.
The Broncos head back out to Los Gatos High School on Friday to take on Oregon at 2:30 p.m.
Results:
No. 1 - Julia Menhart/Hana Tresnakova (SJSU) def. Sabrina Clayton/Kirsten Mead (SCU); 21-13, 21-17
No. 2 - Danielle Rottman/Nikki Hess (SCU) def. Jamie Hirai/Allison Meehan (SJSU); 21-12, 22-20
No. 3 - Sarah Vaccaro/Hailey Lindberg (SCU) def. Lyndi Scholl/Tyanna Roy (SJSU); 21-16, 21-23, 15-11
No. 4 - Lacey Maas/Jensen Cunningham (SCU) def. Julia Golbeck/Luiza Andrade (SJSU); 26-24, 21-17
No. 5 - Madison Dutra/Mary Shepherd (SCU) def. Julie Sam/Nandyala Gama (SJSU); 25-23, 19-21, 15-3
Exh. - Kirsten Mead/Tatiana San Juan (SCU) def. Mariana Mantelato/Summer Avery (SJSU); 21-19, 21-15
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