SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Santa Clara beach volleyball played a doubleheader on its second match day of the 2016 season, and split a pair of contests decided by a single dual. The Broncos lost a close match to West Coast Conference rival No. 13 San Francisco (DiG Magazine) before bouncing back to defeat Cal at the Sacramento Softball Complex.
Weather conditions impacted the matches just as they did on Thursday's season opener; the Broncos faced wind in their matchup with the Dons (7-0) and rain in their matchup with the Golden Bears (3-4).
MATCH 1: No. 13 San Francisco 3 Santa Clara 2
Santa Clara's newest pairing of Madison Dutra and Mary Shepherd began the morning with a sweep at the No. 5 position. Shepherd played alongside Hailey Lindberg in the team's first match and Dutra played in an exhibition contest alongside Tatiana San Juan. Kirsten Mead and Sabrina Clayton improved their season record to 2-0 with a victory at the No. 1 position.
"(Madison and Mary) had not practiced together previously but found ways to win through controlling the ball as well as direct communication throughout the match," head coach Aaron Mansfield said.
At the No. 4 spot, Jensen Cunningham and Lacey Maas led 13-9 in the third set, but could not close out the day's second dual. Sarah Vaccaro and Katrina Inch (No. 3) fell in three sets while Danielle Rottman and Nikki Hess (No. 1) were swept in a pair of close sets.
"This was the first time all of our teams got really tested this year," Mansfield said. "Our response to that pressure was tentative at times from some of our teams instead of trusting in our game and just going for it. Luckily, we had another dual to play and take on another challenging team."
Position 1: Kirsten Mead/Sabrina Clayton (SCU) def. Oluoma Okaro/Sara Staengle (USF) 21-15, 22-24, 15-12
Position 2: Katarina Pilepic/Jurja Vlasic (USF) def. Danielle Rottman/Nikki Hess (SCU) 21-17, 21-18
Position 3: Emily Reed/Courtney Sabahi (USF) def. Sarah Vaccaro/Katrina Inch (SCU) 21-19, 16-21, 15-3
Position 4: Jessica Gaffiney/Kiara McKibben (USF) def. Jensen Cunningham/Lacey Maas (SCU) 18-21, 21-8, 17-15
Position 5: Madison Dutra/Mary Shepherd (SCU) def. Madison Murtagh/Kim Miller (USF) 23-21, 21-12
Position 6 (Exhibition): Jessica Keenan/Dane Miller (USF) def. Hailey Lindberg/Tatiana San Juan (SCU) 23-21, 21-18
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
MATCH 2: Santa Clara 3 Cal 2
Each of Santa Clara's three teams that fell in the day's first match bounced back to win their duals against the Golden Bears. In early action, Maas and Cunningham went past the 15-point mark in the third set to even up the score at one dual apiece.
"They gained valuable experience playing in three-set matches twice on the day," Mansfield said. "The difference was they were a little tougher down the stretch in the second match."
Inch and Vaccaro sided out consistently and closed the third set on a strong run to clinch their second dual of the young campaign. Hess and Rottman served and set well, allowing them to sideout throughout the matchup and earn a victory at the No. 2 spot — a win that clinched the victory for Santa Clara.
As the rain picked up toward the end of the day, Mead and Clayton played well but fell in a close contest. Dutra and Shepherd continued their steady play and committed a few late errors in the first contest against the Golden Bears.
Position 1: Sarah Cole/Mia Merino (CAL) def. Kirsten Mead/Sabrina Clayton (SCU) 21-19, 13-21, 15-9
Position 2: Danielle Rottman/Nikki Hess (SCU) def. Bryce Bark/Kory Lannett (CAL) 21-19, 21-19
Position 3: Sarah Vaccaro/Katrina Inch (SCU) def. Grace Campbell/Olivia Rodberg (CAL) 21-18, 20-22, 13-15
Position 4: Jensen Cunningham/Lacey Maas (SCU) def. Teya Neff/Rachel Wilson (CAL) 21-14, 14-21, 14-16
Position 5: Katie Regalia/Emily Shults (CAL) def. Madison Dutra/Mary Shepherd (SCU) 21-13, 21-19
Position 6 (Exhibition): Annie O'Donnell/Sammy Furlan (CAL) def. Hailey Lindberg/Tatiana San Juan (SCU) 21-9, 21-17
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Next Up
The Broncos head to Santa Cruz, Calif. for the Santa Cruz Invitational April 2.
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