BVB3/5/2022 3:24 PM | By: Cal Athletics
No. 10 Bears Defeat San Jose State, UC Davis
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA – No. 10 California beach volleyball continued their hot start to the season by winning two matches on Saturday on the campus of UC Davis. The Bears (5-1) opened the day defeating San Jose State, 5-0. They followed that with another victory over UC Davis by a 4-1 scoreline.
No. 10 Cal 5, SJSU 0
The Bears swept a matchup against local rivals San Jose State, winning 5-0 and only losing one set. Maya Gessner and Natalie Martin got the scoring started as they won 21-18, 21-14 on court four. That was followed quickly by a win on court two. Ainsley Radell and Ava Mann continued their hot start to the season as the second pair scored the final two points to win 21-11, 22-20.
The Bears clinched the match on court one as Cal’s pair of All-Americans, Mima Mirkovic and Ana Costa won by a 42-17 margin across the two sets, 21-7, 21-10. Lexi McKeown and Ella Dreibholz claimed their first victory as a partnership as the pair of Cal newcomers won 21-14, 21-18.
The new duo of sophomore Brooke Buchner and grad transfer Ashley Delgado lost the first set 14-21. However, the pair responded with a tight, 21-19, win in the second set. That set up a decisive third set as the Bears took the lead, 4-3. They were able to hold the Spartan pair at bay, maintaining that slight lead through the entirety of the third set, winning 15-12.
#1 – Mima Mirkovic/Ana Costa (Cal) def. Abby Alvarez/ Siena Brewster (SJSU) – 21-7, 21-10
#2 – Ainsley Radell/Ava Mann (Cal) def. Jaida Ward/Amethyst Harper (SJSU) – 21-11, 22-20
#3 – Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. Haylee Nelson / Mia Schafer (SJSU) – 14-21, 21-19, 15-12
#4 – Maya Gessner/ Natalie Martin (Cal) def. Maddie Boestra / Chloe Culver (SJSU) – 21-18, 21-14
#5 – Lexi McKeown/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. Cheyenne Rice / Sarah Smevog (SJSU) – 21-14, 21-18
No. 10 Cal 4, UC Davis 1
In the second match of the day, Cal switched the fours and five pairs. McKeown and Dreibholz came back to the court immediately after winning in the second wave vs. San Jose State and claimed a straight set win over UC Davis. The pair won 21-19, 21-16 against the Aggies as they pulled out the first set after the two teams were tied at 19.
Court two was a back-and-forth contest as Radell and Mann won the first set for the Bears. The second set was a hard-fought contest as the teams traded points, but Davis ultimately pulled off the 26-24 win. The Aggies carried that momentum to the third set to record a 15-9 win and claim the point.
The Bears got back on track on court three as Buchner and Delgado recorded a straight set victory, winning their matchup 21-15, 21-11 to put the Bears back in front. Gessner and Martin clinched the match for the Bears on the fifth court as they won 21-15, 21-19.
Mirkovic and Costa wrapped up the dual in style on court one. The pair won the first set 21-10, before a 21-19 score in the second set wrapped up the dual and the weekend for the Bears.
#1 – Mima Mirkovic/Ana Costa (Cal) def. (UCD) – 21-10, 21-19
#2 – (UCD) def. Ainsley Radell/Ava Mann (Cal) – 18-21, 26-24, 15-9
#3 – Brooke Buchner/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. (UCD) – 21-15, 21-11
#4 – Lexi McKeown/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. (UCD) – 21-19, 21-16
#5 – Maya Gessner/ Natalie Martin (Cal) def. (UCD) – 21-15, 21-19
UP NEXT
The Bears are traveling to Hawaii for the Queens Cup Tournament, which begins on Thursday afternoon. Cal will take on Hawaii and TCU on Thursday followed by Friday matches against Nebraska and UC Davis. Saturday’s action will be determined by the results on the first two days.
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