LONG BEACH, Calif. — The UC Davis pairing of
Paloma Bowman and
Colleen McGuire closed out the season with a pair of victories at the ones, while
Rose Holscher and
Madelin Smith also posted a victory at the threes on Friday, but the Aggies were eliminated from the 2021 Big West Conference Beach Volleyball Championships with losses to CSU Bakersfield and No. 18 Long Beach State on the first day of play at Rosie's Dog Beach in Long Beach, Calif.
UC Davis ended the 2021 campaign with a 9-18 overall record, finishing the year with the most dual victories in the brief history of the program and the program's longest winning streak with three consecutive victories to close out the regular season.
Speaking of streaks, Bowman and McGuire ended their season together with five consecutive victories with the two wins on Friday, posting a 21-14, 21-15, win over the Roadrunners' Cameron Solberg and Milica Vukobrat in the opener, and a 21-17, 21-19, win over the Beach's Mari Molina and Tyler Spriggs later in the day.
Bowman and McGuire opened with a convincing win in the first set against Solberg and Vukobrat, but had work to do in the second, trailing 7-1 at the changeover before using a 10-3 run to take an 11-10 advantage they would never relinquish. Bowman and McGuire then outscored the pair, 10-5, the rest of the way for the first point of the day.
In the night cap, a back-and-forth battle with Molina and Spriggs resulted in a straight-set victory for the UC Davis duo, clinching the first-ever point for the Aggies in the series with nationally ranked Long Beach State.
Holscher and Smith then accounted for UC Davis' only other point on the day, posting a straight-set, 21-15, 22-20, victory over CSU Bakersfield's Anne Unke and Brooke Boiseau. The victory gave the Aggies a 2-1 lead in the match against the Roadrunners, with the contest to be decided by a pair of three-set battles.
CSU Bakersfield took the first set at the twos before the tandem of
Megan Luly and
Heather Reed answered with a 21-17 win in the second to extend the match. The Roadrunners, however, tied the match overall at two wins apiece thanks to a 15-11 victory in the third, shifting the attention to the fours.
After dropping the first,
Ashlee Goycoochea and
Bailey Herdman rebounded with a 21-18 win in the second and led 7-3 and 9-7 in the third before CSU Bakersfield rallied. A 6-4 win tied the third set at 13-all and the Roadrunners won the final two points of the day for a 15-13 win in the set and a 3-2 victory in the match.
NCAA WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL
April 30, 2021 • Rosie's Dog Beach (Long Beach, Calif.)
Big West Conference Tournament First Round
CSU Bakersfield 3, UC Davis 2
1.
Paloma Bowman /
Colleen McGuire (UCD) def. Cameron Solberg / Milica Vukobrat (CSUB), 21-14, 21-15
2. Emily Hansen / Hana Makonova (CSUB) def.
Megan Luly /
Heather Reed (UCD), 21-12, 17-21, 15-11
3.
Rose Holscher /
Madelin Smith (UCD) def. Anne Unke / Brooke Boiseau (CSUB), 21-15, 22-20
4. Hayley McCluskey / Mapuhola Sekona (CSUB) def.
Ashlee Goycoochea /
Bailey Herdman (UCD), 21-15, 18-21, 15-13
5. Seleisa Elisaia / Alaina Gendale (CSUB) def.
Summer Bouquet /
Alexa Rockas (UCD), 21-19, 21-15
Order of finish: 1, 5, 3, 2, 4*
NCAA WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL
April 30, 2021 • Rosie's Dog Beach (Long Beach, Calif.)
Big West Conference Tournament Consolation Bracket
#18 Long Beach State 4, UC Davis 1
1.
Paloma Bowman /
Colleen McGuire (UCD) def. Mari Molina / Tyler Spriggs (LBSU), 21-17, 21-19
2. Skyler Germann / Makenzie Griffin (LBSU) def.
Megan Luly /
Heather Reed (UCD), 21-11, 22-20
3. Nicci Reinking / Katie Kennedy (LBSU) def.
Rose Holscher /
Madelin Smith (UCD), 21-13, 21-14
4. Emily Mattoon / Jillian Rodriguez (LBSU) def.
Ashlee Goycoochea /
Bailey Herdman (UCD), 21-14, 22-20
5. Alice Pratesi / Kenzie Holtz (LBSU) def.
Summer Bouquet /
Alexa Rockas (UCD), 21-11, 23-21
Order of finish: 3, 2, 5*, 4, 1
ABOUT UC DAVIS
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