Bears fight hard until elimination in Pac-12 Championships, conclude season
Karen Chow/File
The Bears concluded the most promising year of Cal beach volleyball in school history this past weekend at the Pac-12 Championships in Los Angeles. The Bears clawed their way through the competition, fighting for every point and leaving all of their effort on the sand. Ultimately, Cal ended the tournament as fifth in the Pac-12, marking a successful end to its strenuous, successful season.
The tournament started last Thursday afternoon with heated competition against No. 9 Stanford. As the Bears and the Cardinal had gone back and forth in earlier contests this season, the gravity of this match was clear to Cal.
(Photo: GLEN MITCHELL/isiphotos.com)
on April 18, 2021
Stanford beach volleyball (17-8, 6-4 Pac-12) defeated Saint Mary’s (8-8, 5-1 WCC) and No. 11 Pepperdine (11-15, 0-0 WCC) but split games with No. 12 Cal (13-9, 5-4 Pac-12) this weekend on the Farm. The results keep the Cardinal in the conversation as one of the top eight teams to qualify for the national championships in three weeks.
Senior Amelia Smith and freshman Emmy Sharp went undefeated across their four matches, winning all their matches in straight sets as the team’s fourth flight. They were the only duo on the team to earn a point in the weekend’s final match, when the Golden Bears got revenge for Saturday’s 3-2 Cardinal victory.
Apr 15, 2021
BERKELEY – No. 12 Cal Beach Volleyball returns to action as they travel to the South Bay for four matches this weekend at the Pac-12/WCC Challenge at the Stanford Beach Volleyball Courts.
The Bears open the weekend at 2 p.m. PT vs. No. 11 Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon. They will follow that with a matchup vs. Stanford at 4 p.m. PT, which will be available on Stanford s live stream. On Sunday, Cal takes on Saint Mary s (CA) at 10 a.m. PT. The Bears will play the following game of the tournament at either 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. PT. The teams that finish their first three matchups ranked first and second will face off at 4 p.m., while the teams that are third and fourth will play at 2 p.m., unless Pepperdine is in the championship match, then it will be played at 2 p.m. and the third and fourth place teams will play at 4 p.m.
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After challenging weekend, Cal beach volleyball is determined to bounce back
Lisi Ludwig/Senior Staff
After cruising through the season with just a few losses and loads of confidence, the No. 9 Cal reached a speed bump in its season after losing to both No. 12 Stanford and No. 5 Cal Poly this past weekend.
The Bears battled it out and kept both competitions close. While Cal fell in both matches by a score of 3-2, the Bears fought for each point with grit and aggression.
During warmups on the Stanford beach volleyball courts before Cal’s match against Cal Poly, freshman Maya Gessner injured herself. Pushing through the pain, Gessner and sophomore Kate Bierly, her partner, began playing the first set of the day before forfeiting the match due to Gessner’s injury.