LOS GATOS, Calif. — Santa Clara beach volleyball saw its six-match winning streak come to an end Tuesday afternoon. The 20th-ranked Broncos took the first two duals, but eventually fell 3-2 to Pacific, finishing the season with a 3-1 home record at Los Gatos High School.
In the program's four-year history, the Broncos (7-2, 2-2 WCC) have fallen in all four meetings against the Tigers (4-6, 1-4 WCC).
With the match tied 2-2, the No. 4 pairing of Jensen Cunningham and Lacey Maas tried to clinch the victory for the Broncos in the final game, but fell to Pacific's Katrin Gotterba and Maycie LaBass in two sets.
Santa Clara's top two pairings got the match off to a strong start with each pair coming back from first-set losses to win in three sets. At the No. 1 spot, Sabrina Clayton and Kirsten Mead dominated the third set 15-7 to defeat Lexi Elman and Andie Shleton. Danielle Rottman and Nikki Hess, playing as the No. 2 pairing, outlasted Alicja Wilk and Kimmy Whitson in the third set, 16-14.
After taking the 2-0 lead, the Broncos couldn't quite get the match-sealing third dual victory.
In the No. 3 grouping, Sarah Vaccaro and Hailey Lindberg took their first loss as a duo, falling to Mia Feiner and Jess Hess in a pair of 21-16 sets.
Madison Dutra and Mary Shepherd battled, but fell in the No. 5 pairing to Jessica Diederich and Alex Holt.
The Broncos will look to rebound from the loss as they head up to Stanford to play a pair of matches on Thursday. The Broncos will face San José State and Stanford at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
Results:
No. 1 - Sabrina Clayton/Kirsten Mead (SCU) def. Lexi Elman/Andie Shelton (PAC); 18-21, 21-18, 15-7
No. 2 - Danielle Rottman/Nikki Hess (SCU) def. Alicja Wilk/Kimmy Whitson (PAC); 19-21, 21-12, 16-14
No. 3 - Mia Feiner/Jess Hess (PAC) def. Sarah Vaccaro/Hailey Lindberg (SCU); 21-16, 21-16
No. 4 - Katrin Gotterba/Maycie LaBass (PAC) def. Lacey Maas/Jensen Cunningham (SCU); 21-14, 21-17
No. 5 - Jessica Diederich/Alex Holt def. Madison Dutra/Mary Shepherd (SCU); 21-13, 21-14
Exh. - Kirsten Mead/Tatiana San Juan (SCU) def. Lauren Cline/Janie Feldsher (PAC); 21-9, 21-11
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 6, 3, 5, 4
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