SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University beach volleyball team earned its sixth win in its last nine matches Wednesday, beating West Coast Conference foe San Francisco for the second time this season, this time beating the Dons, 4-1, in the Broncos' penultimate home match of the season at the Malley Beach Volleyball Courts.
The Broncos (13-10) took two of their four pairs wins by sweep. Nicole Robison and Julia Sangiacomo won their fourth match in a row at the No. 1 pairs spot, sweeping San Francisco's Claire Crijns and Branson Lennon, 21-13, 21-15. Jordan Bennett and Claire Doud earned their fifth win in their last seven tries, triumphing again at No. 4 pairs with a 21-11, 21-13 win over USF's Isadora Nicolai and Anna Petrova.
San Francisco (1-23) got its lone victory of the day at No. 2 pairs, where Letizia Aquilino and McKenna Towne sqeaked past Casey Campbell and Elena Radeff in three sets. They barely won the first set, 21-19, then fell in the second, 21-13, before pulling away to win the third by just three points, 15-12. That helped the Dons avoid a second 5-0 sweep this season at the hands of the Broncos, who also swept them, 5-0, on March 25 in Santa Cruz.
The Broncos will next head to Stockton for a three-match day at Pacific. There, they'll face Sacramento State, UC Davis and the host Tigers, all in rematches from earlier this season. Santa Clara is a combined 4-2 against those three opponents this season.
Santa Clara 4, San Francisco 1
Malley Beach Volleyball Courts – Santa Clara, Calif.
April 12, 2023
1. Nicole Robison/Julia Sangiacomo (SCU) def. Claire Crijns/Branson Lennon (USF) 2-0: 21-13, 21-15
2. Letizia Aquilino/McKenna Towne (USF) def. Casey Campbell/Elena Radeff (SCU) 2-1: 21-19, 13-21, 15-12
3. Ella Duffner/Katie Kishton (SCU) def. Jolie Gutierrez/Rylie Reeves (USF) 2-1: 21-13, 13-21, 15-6
4. Jordan Bennett/Claire Doud (SCU) def. Isadora Nicolai/Anna Petrova (USF) 2-0: 21-11, 21-13
5. Alexie Epstein/Alexia Gallegos (SCU) def. Francesca Stanschus/Rainie Stevens (USF) 2-1: 21-11, 13-21, 16-14
Exh. Elyse Erickson/Hayley Hahn (SCU) vs. Hailey Benesz (SCU)/Sophia Solomon (USF), 21-15, 16-21
