Bears Send Pairs To AVCA Fall Championships

Ashley Delgado, left, and Ainsley Radell will represent Cal this weekend at the AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships.

BVB11/3/2022 3:34 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal To Be Well-Represented At First-Ever Tournament

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Cal beach volleyball team made history last spring by advancing to the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history. Two of the Bears’ top pairs return to same venue this weekend to set another benchmark – competing in the first-ever AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championships.

“It’s a testament to the growth of our program,” Cal head coach Meagan Owusu said. “It’s an honor to get to be part of this first fall national championship.”

Seniors Ainsley Radell and Ashley Delgado form the Bears’ top pair in the tournament while juniors Brooke Buchner and Maya Gessner are the team’s No. 2 pair. Each pair plays three pool play matches on Friday before moving on to bracket play for the remainder of the weekend.

Radell and Delgado teamed at the end of last season to go undefeated at the Pac-12 Championship and win their match in their dual against LSU at the NCAA Championship. The pair was named to the Pac-12 Championship All-Tournament Team.

Buchner and Gessner have never played together in a regular season match but teamed up at last month’s SCE Collegiate Pairs West Coast Championships and registered wins over pairs from Pepperdine, Grand Canyon and Boise State. Radell and Delgado recorded wins over Cal Poly and Grand Canyon as well.

“Those two pairs performed very well at the West Coast Championships and we felt they battled their way into the spots in Alabama,” Owusu said. “It will be three days going against the top pairs in the country. They get to implement what they have been working on this fall in the highest pressure situation possible.”

Cal was one of 20 teams to be awarded two pairs into this weekend’s tournament based on its success last season. Overall, 64 pairs representing 44 schools will be participating.

The Bears finished the 2022 season with a record of 26-14 – setting a program benchmark for most wins in a season. They were ranked No. 11 nationally at the end of the year.