Huskies Test USC, Sweep Oregon LA

ANGELS The Huskies are still chasing their first top 10 win of the season, but are still very close. Today, the 16th-ranked Beach Dawgs played perhaps their most competitive matchup ever against defending NCAA champion and fourth-ranked USC, eventually falling 4-1 at USC’s Merle Norman Stadium. Washington (4-4) then wrapped up its work at the Pac-12 South Invitational by sweeping Oregon.

Three of UW’s four losses have come against top-10 teams, and UW has been there in all three. It couldn’t end USC’s 40-game hitting streak today, however, as the Trojans won the third periods on three and four pitches to help keep the Huskies’ upset bid at bay.

The match started at twos and fours, with UW taking the first sets at both. USC responded to force third periods for both. at address no. 2, Piper Monk-Heidrich and Kendall Mather earned the first point of the match by defeating White/Shields 21-19, 15-21, 15-13 with a Monk-Heidrich block on match point. But Palmoa Bowman and Mary Sinclair couldn’t turn things around in the third set, falling 15-21, 21-19, 15-10 to Bakos/Showalter.

DAWGS ARE ON SERVICE!!! Piper and Kendall get the win on the second court!

?? https://t.co/swsnWtRjWn#GrittyByNature pic.twitter.com/h0vuQWNdbS

— Washington Beach Volleyball (@UW_BeachVB) March 5, 2023

In the next batch of matches Hannah Yerex and Scarlett Dahl Battling to earn a match point in the second set on court five, they couldn’t extend it, falling 21-10, 23-21 to Karl/Walker. Then Natalie Robinson and Chloe Loreen fell for the first time this season at the No. 1 spot, in a hard-fought 21-18, 21-16 match against USC’s top-seeded Kraft/Maple.

at address no. 3, Teagan DeFalco and Shannon Gormally were poised to get another point for the Dawgs, but USC’s Nourse twins saved three straight match points to come back and steal the final match, 17-21, 21-18, 16-14.

Washington then traveled to UCLA’s Mapes Beach for the first time this weekend and got their first sweep of the season over the Ducks.

Yerex and Dahl dominated with a 21-6, 21-12 win after Peterson/McCaskill at No. 5, and then Robinson and Loreen got back to their winning ways with a 21-12, 21-13 win over Oregon’s Brown and Almanza.

DeFalco and Gormally cruised to a win over Plevin/Rothstein at No. 3 21-19, 21-14. The final two matches went to the third set, but UW won both by scores of 15-12, Monk-Heidrich and Mather winning at No. 2 Wetton/Tyus and Sinclair and Bowman winning at No. 4 Schroeder/George.

The Huskies will head to Hawaii next week to participate in the Queen’s Cup on the 10th-12th. March.

Washington Beach Volleyball
Pac-12 South Invitational
March 5, 2023
Los Angeles, California

Match 1 (Merle Norman Stadium)

#16 Washington 1
#4 USC 4

1. Kraft/Maple (USC) def. Loreen/Robinson (UW) 21-18, 21-16
2. Monk-Heidrich/Mather (UW) def. White/Shields (USC) 21-19, 15-21, 15-13
3. Nourse/Nourse (USC) def. DeFalco/Gormally (UW) 17-21, 21-18, 16-14
4. Bakos/Showalter (USC) def. Bowman/Sinclair (UW) 15-21, 21-19, 15-10
5. Karl/Walker (USC) def. Yerex/Dahl (UW) 21-10, 23-21
Finishing order: 2, 4, 5, 1, 3

Match 2 (Mapes Beach)

#16 Washington 5
Oregon 0

1. Loreen/Robinson (UW) def. Brown/Almanza (Ore) 21-12, 21-13
2. Monk-Heidrich/Mather (UW) def. Wetton/Tyus (Ore) 21-17, 26-28, 15-12
3. DeFalco/Gormally (UW) def. Plevin/Rothstein (hours) 21-19, 21-14
4. Bowman/Sinclair (UW) def. Schroeder/George (Ore) 13-21, 21-19, 15-12
5. Yerex/Dahl (UW) def. Peterson/McCaskill (Ore) 21-6, 21-12
Finishing order: 5, 1, 3, 2, 4