Thursday, April 25
Los Angeles, CA
3:00 PM
University of Washington
0
at
3
USC
Huskies Stay Alive With 3-2 Nailbiter Over Utah
April 25, 2019 | Beach Volleyball
LOS ANGELES β With the season on the line, Avie Niece and Cat McCoy gave the Huskies another day in the sand, breaking a 2-2 tie with a 16-14 victory to hold off Utah in the contender's bracket at the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships. Washington, seeded seventh, lost a competitive first match to second-ranked USC then immediately had to take the court again to stay alive against No. 8 Utah, which pushed the Huskies to the bring but the Dawgs survived.
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Washington (9-15) has never lost to a lower-seeded opponent at the Pac-12 Championships and has upset at least one higher-ranked team in the three previous years. They'll get another chance at doing that tomorrow morning, as they get right back to work trying to extend their season again with a match against third-seeded California at 9 a.m. tomorrow back at USC's Merle Norman Stadium.
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It all came down to the match at No. 3 with Niece and McCoy against Utah's Sproule and Villela. Each team had taken one set by the same 21-18 score. The third set went to 14-14, with Utah's serve going into the net to give the Huskies a second match point chance. Niece served and ran up the net, and Utah tried to go around her block and missed wide as the Huskies rushed onto the court to celebrate.
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The Huskies had earned the first point when Emma Calle and Samantha Drechsel rolled to a 21-7, 21-13 win over Grace/Teerlink at the No. 4 spot, but Utah got a big momentum swing when its No. 5 pair of Smalls/Windisch rallied from a set down to beat Chloe Newton and Callie Weber, 18-21, 21-18, 15-13, to make it 1-1 instead of 2-0 for the Dawgs.
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Then the top two matches finished nearly at the same moment, with Utah winning at the No. 1 spot, 21-14, 21-13, over Destiny Julye and Kristen Gengenbacher, but Kara Bajema and Shayne McPherson had a 21-17, 21-14 win at No. 2 over Koerber/Yett. That set up Niece and McCoy to have center stage.
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In the first match against the Trojans, the four and five matches were up first once again, as USC's facility has three courts so No. 4 and No. 5 matches start things off.
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After trailing most of the set at No. 4, Calle and Drechsel rallied late and grabbed the first set against Joy Dennis and Maja Kaiser, 21-19. The USC pair answered with a 21-11 second set win and then took a 9-2 lead in the third set. But Calle and Drechsel fought back again and an ace from Calle got the Huskies within a point at 12-13. But USC closed it out on its second chance, winning 15-13.
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At the five spot, Newton and Weber hung right with Camme Dorn and Mollie Ebertin throughout. In the first set, Newton and Weber saved five set points before Dorn and Ebertin won, 21-19. In the second set, it was another 4-0 Husky run to cut it to 17-18 USC before the Trojans pulled that one out, 21-18.
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USC clinched with a 21-12, 21-12 win at the No. 1 position from Bustamante/Graudina over Julye and Gengenbacher. The No. 2 and 3 matches did not finish, though the Huskies were in both. Bajema and McPherson lost the first set, 15-21, but led 16-15 in set two. Niece and McCoy lost a close first set, 19-21, and were down just two points in the second at 12-14.
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Washington Beach Volleyball
2019 Pac-12 Beach Championships
April 25, 2019
Los Angeles, Calif. | Merle Norman Stadium (USC)
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Match 1
Β
(2) USC β 3
(7) Washington β 0
Β
1. Bustamante/Graudina (USC) def. Julye/Gengenbacher (UW), 21-12, 21-12
2. Bajema/McPherson (UW) vs. Cannon/Slater (USC), 15-21, 16-15 - DNF
3. McCoy/Niece (UW) vs. Hallgren/Poletto (USC), 19-21, 12-14 - DNF
4. Dennis/Kaiser (USC) def. Calle/Drechsel (UW), 19-21, 21-11, 15-13
5. Dorn/Ebertin (USC) def. Newton/Weber (UW), 21-19, 21-18
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1
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Match 2
Β
(7) Washington β 3
(8) Utah β 2
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1) Drews/Luafalemana (Utah) def. Julye/Gengenbacher (UW), 21-14, 21-13
2) Bajema/McPherson (UW) def. Koerber/Yett (Utah), 21-17, 21-14
3) McCoy/Niece (UW) def. Sproule/Villela (Utah), 21-18, 18-21, 16-14
4) Calle/Drechsel (UW) def. Grace/Teerlink (Utah), 21-7, 21-13
5) Smalls/Windisch (Utah) def. Newton/Weber (UW), 18-21, 21-18, 15-13
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3
Β
Washington (9-15) has never lost to a lower-seeded opponent at the Pac-12 Championships and has upset at least one higher-ranked team in the three previous years. They'll get another chance at doing that tomorrow morning, as they get right back to work trying to extend their season again with a match against third-seeded California at 9 a.m. tomorrow back at USC's Merle Norman Stadium.
Β
It all came down to the match at No. 3 with Niece and McCoy against Utah's Sproule and Villela. Each team had taken one set by the same 21-18 score. The third set went to 14-14, with Utah's serve going into the net to give the Huskies a second match point chance. Niece served and ran up the net, and Utah tried to go around her block and missed wide as the Huskies rushed onto the court to celebrate.
Β
The Huskies had earned the first point when Emma Calle and Samantha Drechsel rolled to a 21-7, 21-13 win over Grace/Teerlink at the No. 4 spot, but Utah got a big momentum swing when its No. 5 pair of Smalls/Windisch rallied from a set down to beat Chloe Newton and Callie Weber, 18-21, 21-18, 15-13, to make it 1-1 instead of 2-0 for the Dawgs.
Β
Then the top two matches finished nearly at the same moment, with Utah winning at the No. 1 spot, 21-14, 21-13, over Destiny Julye and Kristen Gengenbacher, but Kara Bajema and Shayne McPherson had a 21-17, 21-14 win at No. 2 over Koerber/Yett. That set up Niece and McCoy to have center stage.
Β
In the first match against the Trojans, the four and five matches were up first once again, as USC's facility has three courts so No. 4 and No. 5 matches start things off.
Β
After trailing most of the set at No. 4, Calle and Drechsel rallied late and grabbed the first set against Joy Dennis and Maja Kaiser, 21-19. The USC pair answered with a 21-11 second set win and then took a 9-2 lead in the third set. But Calle and Drechsel fought back again and an ace from Calle got the Huskies within a point at 12-13. But USC closed it out on its second chance, winning 15-13.
Β
At the five spot, Newton and Weber hung right with Camme Dorn and Mollie Ebertin throughout. In the first set, Newton and Weber saved five set points before Dorn and Ebertin won, 21-19. In the second set, it was another 4-0 Husky run to cut it to 17-18 USC before the Trojans pulled that one out, 21-18.
Β
USC clinched with a 21-12, 21-12 win at the No. 1 position from Bustamante/Graudina over Julye and Gengenbacher. The No. 2 and 3 matches did not finish, though the Huskies were in both. Bajema and McPherson lost the first set, 15-21, but led 16-15 in set two. Niece and McCoy lost a close first set, 19-21, and were down just two points in the second at 12-14.
Β
Β
Washington Beach Volleyball
2019 Pac-12 Beach Championships
April 25, 2019
Los Angeles, Calif. | Merle Norman Stadium (USC)
Β
Match 1
Β
(2) USC β 3
(7) Washington β 0
Β
1. Bustamante/Graudina (USC) def. Julye/Gengenbacher (UW), 21-12, 21-12
2. Bajema/McPherson (UW) vs. Cannon/Slater (USC), 15-21, 16-15 - DNF
3. McCoy/Niece (UW) vs. Hallgren/Poletto (USC), 19-21, 12-14 - DNF
4. Dennis/Kaiser (USC) def. Calle/Drechsel (UW), 19-21, 21-11, 15-13
5. Dorn/Ebertin (USC) def. Newton/Weber (UW), 21-19, 21-18
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1
Β
Match 2
Β
(7) Washington β 3
(8) Utah β 2
Β
1) Drews/Luafalemana (Utah) def. Julye/Gengenbacher (UW), 21-14, 21-13
2) Bajema/McPherson (UW) def. Koerber/Yett (Utah), 21-17, 21-14
3) McCoy/Niece (UW) def. Sproule/Villela (Utah), 21-18, 18-21, 16-14
4) Calle/Drechsel (UW) def. Grace/Teerlink (Utah), 21-7, 21-13
5) Smalls/Windisch (Utah) def. Newton/Weber (UW), 18-21, 21-18, 15-13
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3
Players Mentioned
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
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