UCLA
Hawai'i
No. 1 UCLA Beats Three Ranked Teams on Saturday
February 22, 2020 | Beach Volleyball
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HONOLULU -- No. 1 UCLA (4-0) remained undefeated in the 2020 campaign, beating three ranked teams on Saturday to win the round-robin pool play and earn a No. 1 seed in the 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 a 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 Simo 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, 21-17, 21-14. 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 Monkhouse won a three-set thriller over the Tigers' 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 Villapando and Charlie Ekstrom, 21-15, 21-17. Senior Lily Justine and junior Lea Monkhouse took out Blake Sharp and Amelia Smith in two sets, 21-17, 21-11, to seal the dual victory. Then redshirt sophomore Hannah Phair 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. Junior Mac May saw her first action of the season, teamming up with Sparks on court two to post a three-set win over Stanford's Tori Ashkinos and Maddie Kriz, 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 • 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: 2, 3, 4, 5, 1*
No. 1 UCLA def. No. 3/2 LSU, 4-1
Queen's Beach • 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: 4, 1, 5, 2*, 3
No. 1 UCLA def. No. 19 Stanford, 5-0
Queen's Beach • 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: 5, 1, 3*, 4, 2
