Women's Beach Volleyball | April 27, 2018
STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 2-seeded USC beach volleyball team (24-10) earned a 4-1 win over third-seeded California (22-7) in the winner's bracket semifinal of the 2018 Pac-12 Championship at Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium on Friday, April 27.
The win is the fifth straight for the Women of Troy and propels the Trojans into the winner's final set for 9 a.m. PT on Saturday, April 28, where they will face either top-seeded UCLA or fourth-seeded host Stanford.
The Golden Bears fired the first shot in the dual and took a win at court four where Mia Merino and Caroline Schafer defeated senior
Jenna Belton and freshman
Maja Kaiser, 32-30, 21-15.
In the day's first three-setter, freshman
Haley Hallgren and senior
Alexandra Poletto were in control for a 21-16 first-set win; but dropped a 21-19 decision in the second to Grace Campbell and Maddie Micheletti. The Bears held a lead in the third, but the Trojans fought through to take a 16-14 win and evened the dual. The loss for Campbell and Micheletti was only their second of the season.
The Trojans were rarely challenged at the top courts. At the No. 1 position, junior
Abril Bustamante and freshman
Tina Graudina took a 21-8, 21-14 win over Jessica Gaffney and Mima Mirkovic to put USC on top, 2-1. The duo improved to 26-1 on the season with the victory and extended to a 17-match winning streak.
The clinching point came from court two when senior
Terese Cannon and freshman
Sammy Slater put a 21-12, 21-16 win over Bryce Bark and Madison Dueck in the books. Cannon and Slater won their ninth straight and improved to 23-4 on the season.
At court three, sophomores
Joy Dennis and
Cammie Dorn claimed a 21-14 win in their first set against Bryce Bark and Madison Dueck, but the Bears had other plans and took a 21-18 win in the second. Cal continued to roll in the third and built an 11-7 lead, but Dennis and Dorn went on a 7-0 run to claim match point at 14-12. The Bears scored one more, but the Trojans finished the dual with a 15-13 win on three for a 4-1 final score.
For more information on the three-time national champion USC beach volleyball team and a complete schedule, please visit USCTrojans.com and follow @USCBeach on Facebook, Twitter, Periscope, Instagram, and Snapchat.
[2] No. 5 USC def. [3] No. 12 California, 4-1
2018 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship • Winner's Semifinal
Stanford Sand Volleyball Stadium • Stanford, Calif.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Records:USC (24-10), California (22-7)
1.
Abril Bustamante/
Tina Graudina (USC) def. Jessica Gaffney/Mima Mirkovic (CAL); 21-8, 21-14
2.
Terese Cannon/
Sammy Slater (USC) def. Alexia Inman/Iya Lindahl (CAL); 21-12, 21-16
3.
Joy Dennis/
Cammie Dorn (USC) def. Bryce Bark/Madison Dueck (CAL); 21-14, 18-21, 15-13
4. Mia Merino/Caroline Schafer (CAL) def.
Jenna Belton/
Maja Kaiser (USC); 32-30, 21-15
5.
Haley Hallgren/
Alexandra Poletto (USC) def. Grace Campbell/Maddie Micheletti (CAL); 21-16, 19-21, 16-14
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 2*, 3
