SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford completed its first day of action at the Center of Effort Challenge held at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Friday, falling to No. 4 USC, 3-2, before defeating No. 7 Loyola Marymount, 5-0.
The Cardinal (28-3) had a program-best 15-match winning streak snapped by the Women of Troy. Stanford has only lost this season to No. 2 UCLA (1) and No. 4 USC (2).
Stanford’s match with USC began with the Cardinal dropping four of five first sets. USC’s Coakley/Henson claimed the first point on court one, defeating senior Kelly Belardi and sophomore Avery Jackson, 21-17, 21-15. Stanford responded with a straight-set win on court three from sophomores Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher, besting Satterwhite/Keefe 21-11, 21-18. USC clinched the overall victory with two-set wins on courts four and five. Juniors Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra rallied after losing the first set to defeat USC’s Pater and Wood, 20-22, 21-14, 15-12, to give Stanford its second point.
Stanford bounced back with a sweep of LMU, securing its three match-clinching points in straight sets. Sophomore Indigo Clarke and junior Clara Stowell defeated Schaekel/Johnson, 21-18, 21-17, to put the first point on the board, and redshirt freshman Elena Fisher and junior Chloe Hoffman added a win on court five, 21-17, 21-19. Belardi and Jackson rebounded from their morning defeat to top Stevenson/Pelloi, 25-23, 21-19. Bell and Tusher moved to 2-0 on the day with a 19-21, 21-14, 16-14 win over Rabitsch and Trailovic on court three, and Sorra and Rockwell rallied for a 20-22, 22-20, 15-13 victory over Hooker and Piret.
Stanford plays two more matches in San Luis Obispo on Saturday. The Cardinal faces No. 8 TCU at 11:30 a.m., with its final match determined by pool play results.
#4 USC 3, #1 Stanford 2
1. Kennedy Coakley and Zoey Henson (USC) def. Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson (STAN) 21-17, 21-15
2. Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra (STAN) def. Ashley Pater and Sarah Wood (USC) 20-22, 21-14, 15-12
3. Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Bella Satterwhite and Kerry Keefe (USC) 21-11, 21-18
4. Kyra Zaengle and Calinda Kok (USC) def. Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (STAN) 21-18, 21-19
5. Madison Goellner and Kaileigh Truslow (USC) def. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) 21-19, 21-13
Order of finish: 1, 3, 4, 5*, 2
#1 Stanford 5, #7 LMU 0
1. Kelly Belardi and Avery Jackson (STAN) def. Kiana Stevenson and Anna Pelloia (LMU) 25-23, 21-19
2. Brooke Rockwell and Ruby Sorra (STAN) def. Chloe Hooker and Ines Piret (LMU) 20-22, 22-20, 15-13
3. Charlotta Bell and Logan Tusher (STAN) def. Magdalena Rabitsch and Anja Trailovic (LMU) 19-21, 21-14, 16-14
4. Indigo Clarke and Clara Stowell (STAN) def. Josefine Schaekel and Liv Johnson (LMU) 21-18, 21-17
5. Elena Fisher and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) def. Katie McAlister and Ellie Davis (LMU) 21-17, 21-19
Order of finish: 4, 1, 5*, 3, 2