UCLA
Hawai'i
No. 1 UCLA Beats Three Ranked Teams on Saturday
February 22, 2020 | Beach Volleyball
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HONOLULUย -- No. 1 UCLA (4-0) remained undefeated in the 2020 campaign, beating three ranked teams on Saturday to win the round-robinย pool play and earn a No. 1 seed in theย Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic at Queen's Beach. The tournament portion begins on Sunday, Feb. 23, with UCLA facing No. 19 Stanford (0-3) in the second semifinal at 2:00 p.m. The first semifinal, normally reserved for the top seed, will feature No. 3/2 LSU (1-2) against No. 5 Hawai'i (2-1) at 12:30 p.m. PT. The third-place game is slated for 3:30 p.m. PT with the championship game held at 5:00 p.m. PT.
The Bruins, which lost five starters from last year's NCAA Championship team, start five different pairs in the lineup from a year ago. UCLA's depth was on display in the opening weekend of play as the Bruins rolled out nine different pairs in the three wins today, which began with aย hard-fought, 3-2 win, at No. 5 Hawai'i at 11:00 a.m. PT. Trailing 1-0 and 2-1, freshman Rileigh Powers and graduate transfer Jacqueline Quade rallied for a three-set win over UH's Kylin Loker and Norene Iosia, 19-21, 21-17, 15-11, to tie it at 2-2 on court five. Then sophomore Abby Van Winkle and senior Savvy Simoย clinched the dual victory in three sets over Morgan Martin and Pani Napoleon, 25-23, 21-23, 15-11 on court one.
Then in the afternoon match (3:30 p.m. PT), the Bruins defeated No. 3/2 LSU, 4-1. The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead with a win on court four, but the Bruins reeled off three-straight wins on courts 1, 5, and 2 to seal the dual victory. Court one featured the Bruins' new top-flight team for 2020 of Simo and Van Winkle against the 2019 first team All-American pair of Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss, which went 33-4 a year ago. But the Bruin tandem remain undefeated on the year with a straight-set win,ย 21-17, 21-14.ย Sophomore Lindsey Sparks and freshman Lexy Denaburg outlasted LSU's Jess Schaben and Sydney Moore, 31-29, 21-13, to clinch the dual win on court two. Senior Lily Justine and junior Lea Monkhouseย won a three-set thriller over the Tigers'ย Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope and Toni Rodriguez, 21-19, 17-21, 15-8, to provide the 4-1 final on court three.
The Bruins debuted four new pairs in the 5-0 win over No. 19 Stanford. The first court to get a win was a new pairing of redshirt sophomore Cami Sanchez and Quade on court five as they took down the Cardinal's Chelsea Mohl and Natalie Berty in straight sets, 21-13, 21-19. It was Sanchez's first-ever countable action as a Bruin. Then Simo and Van Winkle improved to 4-0 on court one with a straight-set win over Sunny Villapandoย and Charlie Ekstrom, 21-15, 21-17. Senior Lily Justine and junior Lea Monkhouseย took out Blake Sharp and Amelia Smith in two sets, 21-17, 21-11, to seal the dual victory. Then redshirt sophomore Hannah Phairย saw her first countable action with a redshirt freshman in Jaden Whitmarsh making the same first-ever appearance, and the newbies had little trouble with Stanford's Shannon Richardson and Maddie Dailey, 21-8, 21-16.ย Junior Mac May saw her first action of the season, teamming upย with Sparks on court two to post aย three-set winย over Stanford'sย Tori Ashkinosย and Maddie Kriz,ย 18-21, 21-17, 15-12, to provide the 5-0 final.
No. 1 UCLA def. No. 5 Hawai'i, 3-2
Queen's Beach โข Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020
Records: UCLA (2-0), UH (0-1)
1. Savvy Simo/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Morgan Martin/Pani Napoleon (UH) 25-23, 21-23, 15-11
2. Maia Hannemann/Julia Scoles (UH) def. Lily Justine/Lea Monkhouse (UCLA) 21-16, 21-17
3. Lexy Denaburg/Lindsey Sparks (UCLA) def. Brooke Van Sickle/Amy Ozee (UH) 21-17, 21-19
4. Ilihia Huddleston/Hanna Hellvig (UH) def. Devon Newberry/Megan Muret (UCLA) 21-15, 13-21, 15-9
5. Jacqueline Quade/Rileigh Powers (UCLA) def. Kylin Loker/Norene Iosia (UH) 19-21, 21-17, 15-11
Order of finish:ย 2, 3, 4, 5, 1*
No. 1 UCLA def. No. 3/2 LSU, 4-1
Queen's Beach โข Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020
Records: UCLA (3-0), LSU (1-1)
1. Savvy Simo/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) 21-17, 21-14
2. Lindsey Sparks/Lexy Denaburg (UCLA) def. Jess Schaben/Sydney Moore (LSU) 31-29, 21-13
3. Lily Justine/Lea Monkhouse (UCLA) def. Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope/Toni Rodriguez (LSU) 21-19, 17-21, 15-8
4. Kelli Agnew/Taryn Kloth (LSU) def. Devon Newberry/Megan Muret (UCLA) 21-10, 21-10
5. Rileigh Powers/Madi Yeomans (UCLA) def. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski (LSU) 21-10, 16-21, 15-5
Order of finish:ย 4, 1, 5, 2*, 3
No. 1 UCLA def. No. 19 Stanford, 5-0
Queen's Beach โข Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020
Records: UCLA (4-0), Stanford (0-3)
1. Savvy Simo/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA) def. Sunny Villapando/Charlie Ekstrom (STAN) 21-15, 21-17
2. Mac May/Lindsey Sparks (UCLA) def. Tori Ashkinos/Maddie Kriz (STAN) 18-21, 21-17, 15-12
3. Lily Justine/Lea Monkhouse (UCLA) def. Blake Sharp/Amelia Smith (STAN) 21-17, 21-11
4. Hannah Phair/Jaden Whitmarsh (UCLA) def. Shannon Richardson/Maddie Dailey (STAN) 21-8, 21-16
5. Cami Sanchez/Jacqueline Quade (UCLA) def. Chelsea Mohl/Natalie Berty (STAN) 21-13, 21-19
Order of finish:ย 5, 1, 3*, 4, 2
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