Bears Bounce Back to Close Fight In The Fort
FORT WORTH, TEX. – After dropping back-to-back matches for the first time this season, the No. 7 Cal beach volleyball team (14-5) bounced back Saturday afternoon and swept No. 15 Florida International (8-9) and Missouri State (8-7).
No. 9 Cal 5, No. 15 FIU
The second day of TCU’s Fight in the Fort began with the Golden Bears’ fourth-straight match against a ranked opponent in No. 15 FIU.
The court four pairing of senior Lexi McKeown and junior Natalie Martin was off in a hurry winning its first match of the weekend 21-9, 21-13.
After taking a match off of No. 1 TCU yesterday, junior Liz Waters-Leiga and sophomore Sierra Caffo were bumped up to court one. The transfer duo made the most of the opportunity grinding out its first win in the top spot 22-20, 22-24, 15-8. This marked the 10th win of the season for the pair.
1. Sierra Caffo/Liz Waters-Leiga (Cal) def. Rachele Mancinelli/Milica Vukobrat (FIU) 22-20, 22-24, 15-8
2. Ainsley Radell/Ashley Delgado (Cal) def. Roberta Ribeiro/Lucie Pokorna (FIU) 21-12, 21-18
3. Maya Gessner/Ella Dreibholz (Cal) def. Giada Bianchi/Lisa Luini (FIU) 21-17, 21-19
4. Lexi McKeown/Natalie Martin (Cal) def. Zuzanna Bielak/Athina Dimitriadis (FIU) 21-9, 21-13
5. Brooke Buchner/Alex Young-Gomez (Cal) def. Alice Pratesi/Emily Meyer (FIU) 21-16, 21-18
Ext. Marilu Pally/Ava Mann (Cal) def. Kendra Brown/Chloe Zacca (FIU) 21-14, 21-18
Order of finish: 4,5,3*,2,1
No. 9 Cal 5, Missouri State 0
The final match of the tournament was the battle of the Bears, but it was a one-sided affair as Cal made quick work of Missouri State. All five matches ended in sweeps and the Golden Bears held the opposition to 10 points or less in four different sets.
Playing in their first match of the weekend as a pair, and third of the year, freshman Marliu Pally and junior Ava Mann dominated with a 21-7, 21-8 win on court five. They are now 3-0 overall together.
The senior duo of Ainsley Radell and Ashely Delgado earned a 21-7, 21-17 win on two giving Radell her 15th win of the season. That mark paces the team, and she is now just two wins away from 70 in her career.
Junior Brooke Buchner is nearing a milestone as well as she picked up her 49th career win in the match. She and sophomore Alex Young-Gomez won their third-straight match 21-11, 21-16 on court four.
1. Sierra Caffo/Liz…
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