BERKELEY, CA – The No. 10 University of California beach volleyball team completed a dominant weekend, securing 5-0 victories over both the University of San Francisco and Pacific University on Saturday at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts. The wins capped off the Battle of the Bay tournament for the Golden Bears.
Cal’s No. 1 doubles pair, Emma Donley and Portia Sherman, continued their impressive start to the season, remaining undefeated at 8-0. They defeated USF’s McKenna Towne and Kaydence Stormes 21-10, 21-9, and followed it up with a 21-10, 21-8 win against Pacific’s Sam Holley and Valentina Varani. The duo recently earned AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week honors for their performance the previous week.
Another key pairing for the Bears, Gia Fisher and Ava Haughy, also maintained a strong record, moving to 8-1 on the season. They defeated USF’s Jia Lonardi and Mackenzie Holden 21-9, 21-10, and Pacific’s Kelea Saxton Vaka and Abby Miller 21-11, 21-13. Haughy, a junior transfer from Arizona State, has quickly become a valuable asset, posting a 4-1 record in Honolulu alongside Fisher.
Seniors Mila Vugrincic and Jenna Colligan were particularly dominant on the No. 4 court, allowing their opponents a combined total of just 30 points across four sets on Saturday. They defeated USF’s Lucy Speier and Jackie Strawn 21-10, 21-6, and Pacific’s Josephine Kinlan and Zara Crawford 21-4, 21-10.
Redshirt freshman Giselle Lau made her Cal debut, teaming with sophomore Elle Evers to secure a 21-19, 21-11 victory over USF’s Nadia Murray Ceriello and Burkleigh Smith on the No. 5 court. Evers later paired with Mila Yarich to defeat Pacific’s Makayla Beckett and Charlotte Gibson 21-13, 21-9.
The Golden Bears will next compete at the MPSF Coast To Coast Classic at USC, facing No. 4 USC, and No. 12 LSU on Friday, and No. 17 Grand Canyon and No. 18 Washington on Saturday.
