Bruins Jackson Bantle and Hagen Smith took second place in the the inaugural USA Volleyball Collegiate Beach Championships played on Saturday at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The Bruin indoor seniors dropped a 21-16, 21-13 decision to top-seeded Michael Saeta (UCI) and Lucas Yoder (USC). The winners earned a spot on a USA Volleyball Collegiate beach national team.
Bantle and Smith had advanced to the Gold Medal match after sweeping a team from the University of Hawai'i (Brett Rosenmeier and Colton Cowell) 21-17, 21-17 in a semifinal match played Saturday morning. The Bruin pair had notched three straight-set match victories during pool play on Thursday and Friday.
Earlier in the week on the women's side, seniors Jordan Anderson and Kamila Tan finished second in Pool A after a three-set (21-18, 21-23, 15-12) win over Cal Poly's Hannah Hubbard and Emily Sonny. The 13th-seeded duo then squared off with 14th-seeded Savannah Slattery and Sarah Sponcil in the round of 16, falling in straight sets, 21-17, 21-16.
UCLA's freshman pair of Madi Yeomans and Lily Justine also finished second in pool play (C) after a straight-set win over Washington's top pair of 22nd-seeded Tia Scambray and Crissy Jones, 21-19, 21-19. The 15th-seeded tandem then fell in the round of 16 to 7th-seeded Madison and McKenna Witt of Arizona in three tight sets, 18-21, 21-18, 15-11.
For more information on the championships or for the complete schedule and results, go to http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/events/beach/collegiate-beach-championships/standings.
Bantle and Smith had advanced to the Gold Medal match after sweeping a team from the University of Hawai'i (Brett Rosenmeier and Colton Cowell) 21-17, 21-17 in a semifinal match played Saturday morning. The Bruin pair had notched three straight-set match victories during pool play on Thursday and Friday.
Earlier in the week on the women's side, seniors Jordan Anderson and Kamila Tan finished second in Pool A after a three-set (21-18, 21-23, 15-12) win over Cal Poly's Hannah Hubbard and Emily Sonny. The 13th-seeded duo then squared off with 14th-seeded Savannah Slattery and Sarah Sponcil in the round of 16, falling in straight sets, 21-17, 21-16.
UCLA's freshman pair of Madi Yeomans and Lily Justine also finished second in pool play (C) after a straight-set win over Washington's top pair of 22nd-seeded Tia Scambray and Crissy Jones, 21-19, 21-19. The 15th-seeded tandem then fell in the round of 16 to 7th-seeded Madison and McKenna Witt of Arizona in three tight sets, 18-21, 21-18, 15-11.
For more information on the championships or for the complete schedule and results, go to http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/events/beach/collegiate-beach-championships/standings.