Thursday, April 27
Stanford, CA
12:00 PM
University of Washington
3
vs
0
Utah
Beach Dawgs Beat Utah, Ousted By Trojans
April 27, 2023 | Beach Volleyball
STANFORD, Calif. โ Washington earned its highest-ever seeding to the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships this year, but the Beach Dawgs saw their run ended by defending national champion USC in the contender's bracket today at Stanford. The Huskies had gone through Utah in a sweep to start the day, and had their chances against the Trojans, but converted too few.
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Washington will have to wait until Sunday morning at 8 a.m. Pacific time to learn its fate for the 2023 NCAA Championships, as the Huskies will hope for an at-large bid, which would be the program's first. Seventeen teams make the tournament, with nine automatic bids and eight at-large selections.
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The Huskies went into this tournament ranked 13th in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the spot it has held for several weeks in a row. Both of UW's losses this week came to Top-10 teams (No. 8 Stanford; No. 3 USC) presumably assured of selection for the championships. Fourteen of UW's fifteen losses this year came to ranked teams, with twelve of those losses against Top-10 teams.
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Match 1 vs. Utah
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The Huskies needed to take care of business against a dangerous Utah team in order to get one more shot at one of the Pac-12's top-four seeds. Washington came out prepared and earned a 3-0 victory, highlighted by a three-set comeback at the No. 4 spot.
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Today the No. 2 and No. 4 matches were on court first. At the second spot, Piper Monk-Heidrich and Kendall Mather established themselves early in each set and easily defeated Utah's Vezzani/Karich, 21-10, 21-11. But Utah's Pitzak/Koch earned a 21-19 first set win on four against Mary Sinclair and Teagan DeFalco. With Utah trying to get a split of the opening two matches, DeFalco and Sinclair rallied back for a 21-16 second set win, and then jumped ahead quickly and won set three, 15-7, to put the Dawgs in charge at 2-0.
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Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson then quickly wrapped things up with a 21-11, 21-7 win at the No. 1 court over Messier/McAlister.
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Scarlett Dahl and Paloma Bowman had a 21-9 first set win on court three but did not get to finish, and the No. 5 match had only played a couple of points.
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Match 2 vs. USC
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The Trojans had suffered an upset loss to No. 3-seed California earlier in the day, so the Huskies met the Trojans in their second contender's bracket match.
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Washington proved ready to do everything it could to get one more statement victory today, as the first sets at No. 2 and No. 4 were neck and neck against the third-ranked Trojans. But both went to USC in extra points. Monk-Heidrich and Mather had a set point at 20-19 but USC's White/Shields came back and won the set, 24-22, then pulled away in set two for a 21-13 win and the first dual point.
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DeFalco and Sinclair also dropped a tough first set, 21-23, to Showalter/Rasnick-Pope, but the two were able to answer back with a 21-14 second set win, and then they came through with a clutch 15-13 third set win to make it 1-1 overall.
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Robinson and Loreen have beaten every other Pac-12 No. 1 duo this year aside from USC's Kraft and Maple, and they weren't able to get the better of the Trojans today, as USC moved back in front, 2-1, with a 21-13, 21-14 win at the top spot.
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Another frustrating first set got away from the Dawgs at the No. 3 spot, as Scarlett Dahl and Paloma Bowman had five set point chances in total, including three straight at 20-17, but USC's Nourse sisters came back to steal the set, 24-22, and then clinched the overall dual with a 21-9 second set win.
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Hannah Yerex and Shannon Gormally were a set down (16-21) at No. 5 when the match was clinched.
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Washington Beach Volleyball
April 27, 2023
Stanford, Calif.
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Match 1 โ Contender's Bracket Elimination Match
5-seed (#13) Washington โ 3
8-seed Utah โ 0
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1. Loreen/Robinson (UW) def. Messier/McAlister (Utah) โ 21-11, 21-7
2. Monk-Heidrich/Mather (UW) def. Vezzani/Karich (Utah) โ 21-10, 21-11
3. Dahl/Bowman (UW) vs. Andrews/Sayre (Utah) โ 21-9, 3-4, DNF
4. DeFalco/Sinclair (UW) def. Pitzak/Koch (Utah) โ 19-21, 21-16, 15-7
5. Yerex/Gormally (UW) vs. McOmber/Wessel (Utah), 1-1, DNF
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1
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Match 2 โ Contender's Bracket Elimination Match
5-seed (#13) Washington โ 1
2-seed (#3) USC โ 3
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1. Kraft/Maple (USC) def. Loreen/Robinson (UW) โ 21-13, 21-14
2. White/Shields (USC) def. Monk-Heidrich/Mather (UW) โ 24-22, 21-13
3. Nourse/Nourse (USC) def. Dahl/Bowman (UW) โ 24-22, 21-9
4. DeFalco/Sinclair (UW) def. Showalter/Rasnick-Pope (USC) โ 21-23, 21-14, 15-13
5. Yerex/Gormally (UW) vs. Bakos/Walker (USC) โ 16-21, 4-9, DNF
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 3
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Washington will have to wait until Sunday morning at 8 a.m. Pacific time to learn its fate for the 2023 NCAA Championships, as the Huskies will hope for an at-large bid, which would be the program's first. Seventeen teams make the tournament, with nine automatic bids and eight at-large selections.
ย
The Huskies went into this tournament ranked 13th in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the spot it has held for several weeks in a row. Both of UW's losses this week came to Top-10 teams (No. 8 Stanford; No. 3 USC) presumably assured of selection for the championships. Fourteen of UW's fifteen losses this year came to ranked teams, with twelve of those losses against Top-10 teams.
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Match 1 vs. Utah
The Beach Dawgs survive and advance! 3?-0? over the Utes.
— Washington Beach Volleyball (@UW_BeachVB) April 27, 2023
Washington will now face 3rd-ranked USC in another elimination match.
Originally scheduled for 3:30pm but will be starting late#GrittyByNature pic.twitter.com/SCs5bJw8yn
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The Huskies needed to take care of business against a dangerous Utah team in order to get one more shot at one of the Pac-12's top-four seeds. Washington came out prepared and earned a 3-0 victory, highlighted by a three-set comeback at the No. 4 spot.
ย
Today the No. 2 and No. 4 matches were on court first. At the second spot, Piper Monk-Heidrich and Kendall Mather established themselves early in each set and easily defeated Utah's Vezzani/Karich, 21-10, 21-11. But Utah's Pitzak/Koch earned a 21-19 first set win on four against Mary Sinclair and Teagan DeFalco. With Utah trying to get a split of the opening two matches, DeFalco and Sinclair rallied back for a 21-16 second set win, and then jumped ahead quickly and won set three, 15-7, to put the Dawgs in charge at 2-0.
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Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson then quickly wrapped things up with a 21-11, 21-7 win at the No. 1 court over Messier/McAlister.
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Scarlett Dahl and Paloma Bowman had a 21-9 first set win on court three but did not get to finish, and the No. 5 match had only played a couple of points.
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Match 2 vs. USC
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The Trojans had suffered an upset loss to No. 3-seed California earlier in the day, so the Huskies met the Trojans in their second contender's bracket match.
ย
Washington proved ready to do everything it could to get one more statement victory today, as the first sets at No. 2 and No. 4 were neck and neck against the third-ranked Trojans. But both went to USC in extra points. Monk-Heidrich and Mather had a set point at 20-19 but USC's White/Shields came back and won the set, 24-22, then pulled away in set two for a 21-13 win and the first dual point.
ย
DeFalco and Sinclair also dropped a tough first set, 21-23, to Showalter/Rasnick-Pope, but the two were able to answer back with a 21-14 second set win, and then they came through with a clutch 15-13 third set win to make it 1-1 overall.
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Robinson and Loreen have beaten every other Pac-12 No. 1 duo this year aside from USC's Kraft and Maple, and they weren't able to get the better of the Trojans today, as USC moved back in front, 2-1, with a 21-13, 21-14 win at the top spot.
POINT, HUSKIES ??
— Washington Beach Volleyball (@UW_BeachVB) April 28, 2023
Huge 15-13 win from Teagan and Mary to even the dual up at 1?-1?#GrittyByNature // ?? @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/RQS2lf6BDl
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Another frustrating first set got away from the Dawgs at the No. 3 spot, as Scarlett Dahl and Paloma Bowman had five set point chances in total, including three straight at 20-17, but USC's Nourse sisters came back to steal the set, 24-22, and then clinched the overall dual with a 21-9 second set win.
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Hannah Yerex and Shannon Gormally were a set down (16-21) at No. 5 when the match was clinched.
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Washington Beach Volleyball
April 27, 2023
Stanford, Calif.
ย
Match 1 โ Contender's Bracket Elimination Match
5-seed (#13) Washington โ 3
8-seed Utah โ 0
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1. Loreen/Robinson (UW) def. Messier/McAlister (Utah) โ 21-11, 21-7
2. Monk-Heidrich/Mather (UW) def. Vezzani/Karich (Utah) โ 21-10, 21-11
3. Dahl/Bowman (UW) vs. Andrews/Sayre (Utah) โ 21-9, 3-4, DNF
4. DeFalco/Sinclair (UW) def. Pitzak/Koch (Utah) โ 19-21, 21-16, 15-7
5. Yerex/Gormally (UW) vs. McOmber/Wessel (Utah), 1-1, DNF
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1
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Match 2 โ Contender's Bracket Elimination Match
5-seed (#13) Washington โ 1
2-seed (#3) USC โ 3
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1. Kraft/Maple (USC) def. Loreen/Robinson (UW) โ 21-13, 21-14
2. White/Shields (USC) def. Monk-Heidrich/Mather (UW) โ 24-22, 21-13
3. Nourse/Nourse (USC) def. Dahl/Bowman (UW) โ 24-22, 21-9
4. DeFalco/Sinclair (UW) def. Showalter/Rasnick-Pope (USC) โ 21-23, 21-14, 15-13
5. Yerex/Gormally (UW) vs. Bakos/Walker (USC) โ 16-21, 4-9, DNF
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 3
Players Mentioned
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
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