University of Washington
Vanguard
Huskies Open 2026 Season with Wins in Pepperdine Challenge
February 20, 2026 | Beach Volleyball
UW - 5, VU - 0 ; UW - 3, PU - 2
MALIBU, CALIF. – The Washington Beach Volleyball team earned an impressive set of victories this afternoon with a 5-0 match over Division II side Vanguard, and a hard-fought 3-2 win against Pepperdine in this weekend's Pepperdine Challenge from Malibu.
Washington cruised to a 5-0 victory over DII Vanguard, highlighted by a full team sweep across all courts. Husky No. 2 pair Mayamay Brown and Zoe Pabarcus dominated on court one with a 21-12, 21-8 victory, while the decisive point came on court five, where Alina Urzua and Avery Towne won 21-9, 21-12 to clinch the match.
In the match with Pepperdine, the Waves took the Huskies the distance, with the Dawgs' Urza and Towne pulling out the win in the third set by a 15-11 final score. Despite strong efforts from an unranked Pepperdine side, the Purple-and-Gold prevailed in the tightly contested match, which saw the lead change hands multiple times throughout. Washington pair Alina Urzua and Avery Towne clinched the match as the last pairing to be in play with the match tied 2-2.
Avery & Alina finish things in Set 3 ??
— Washington Beach Volleyball (@UW_BeachVB) February 21, 2026
UW - 3; PU - 2#GrittyByNature pic.twitter.com/FuWIvqOYf7
Pepperdine picked up wins in against the Huskies' No. 1 pairing of Katarina Pantovic and Niki Egan in straight sets and the No. 2 pairing of Mayamay Brown and Zoe Pabarcus in a three-set battle. As the Dawgs won the other pairings with Teila Allen and Emma Honenauer defeating Waves' No. 3 Erickson/Ginevre, Sarah Wilcock and Ella Tyus defeating Waves' No. 4 Jagielska/Mancuso, while Alina Urzua and Avery Towne defeated the Waves' No. 5 pairing of Bubelis/Woodruff.
The Huskies continue play tomorrow morning in the Pepperdine Challenge. As the Huskies are scheduled to take on Pepperdine once again and No. 10 Long Beach State tomorrow at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UW_BeachVB on Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook, TikTok, and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
Feb. 20 | Malibu, Calif.
Pepperdine Beach Courts
No. 19 Washington – 5
Vanguard - 0
Dual Matches:
1. Katarina Pantovic / Niki Egan (UW) def. Snider/Springer (VU) - 21-19, 21-17
2. Mayamay Brown / Zoe Pabarcus (UW) def. Smits Van Oyen (VU) - 21-12, 21-8
3. Teila Allen / Emma Honenauer (UW) def. Bennett/Johnston (VU) - 21-16, 21-15
4. Sarah Wilcock / Ella Tyus (UW) def. Moore/Mayfield (VU) - 21-13, 21-7
5. Alina Urzua / Avery Towne (UW) def. Starling/Pecile (VU) - 21-9, 21-12
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1
Feb. 20 | Malibu, Calif.
Pepperdine Beach Courts
No. 19 Washington - 3
Pepperdine – 2
Dual Matches:
1. Eden/Cyrani (PU) (21, 21) def. Katarina Pantovic / Niki Egan (UW) - 18-21, 16-21
2. Perez/Snow (PU) def. Mayamay Brown / Zoe Pabarcus (UW) - 21-18, 20-22, 10-15
3. Teila Allen / Emma Honenauer (UW) def. Erickson/Ginevre (PU) - 21-19, 21-12
4. Sarah Wilcock / Ella Tyus (UW) def. Jagielska/Mancuso (PU) - 21-19, 19-21, 15-13
5: Alina Urzua / Avery Towne (UW) def. Bubelis/Woodruff (PU) - 21-16, 18-21, 15-11
Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 3, 5
Up Next:
The Huskies continue play in the Pepperdine Challenge, taking on Pepperdine once again and No. 10 Long Beach State tomorrow at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.
For news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UW_BeachVB on Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook, and TikTok and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
