Pacific’s Beach Volleyball Set For Success
Photo provided by Unsplash
Pacific shows resilience in early season tournament and home opener.
The beach volleyball season kicked off on February 28 as Pacific traveled to compete in the Battle of the Bay tournament held at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts of University of California, Berkeley. They played Berkeley in the morning then University of California, Davis in the late afternoon.
A total of 54 attendees watched as Pacific faced Cal in five matches to open the tournament. On court one, juniors Josephine Kinlan and Kelea Saxton Vaka kept the score close, exchanging points evenly until Cal edged out Pacific 21-19 in the first set. Pacific dropped the second set as well, resulting in a 2-0 loss. On court two, freshman Nadia Murray Ceriello and graduate student Margherita Giani remained competitive, keeping the score within five points. However, they ultimately fell, along with Pacific’s doubles pairs on courts three, four, and five.
In Game 2 of the day against the University of California, Davis, Giani and Murray Ceriello secured Pacific’s first point of the season with a straight-sets victory. They won 21-17 and 22-20. The second set extended beyond the standard 21 points as a team must win by at least two. Giani and Murray Ceriello demonstrated composure under pressure to close out the match. On court four, sophomore Makayla Beckett and senior Ashley Davies fell 11-21 after Cal’s pair established an early lead. They nearly forced a third set but were unable to capitalize on crucial points, ultimately losing 22-24.
The Battle of the Bay continued on March 8, with Pacific facing Stanford University and Santa Clara University on Stanford’s campus. Five simultaneous matches against Stanford kicked off the competition. On court two, Ceriello and Giani finished their match first, falling 4-21 and 9-21. On court four, Beckett and Davies won their first set 21-18, but dropped the second 11-21. The deciding third set ended in a 6-15 loss. Freshman Sydney Priebe and sophomore Joelyn Abougoush were defeated 9-21 and 14-21 on court five. On court one, Kinlan and Vaka battled to a close 17-21 loss in set one before falling 14-21 in set two. Freshman duo McKenna Brent and Charlotte Gibson on court three were defeated 5-21 and 9-21, sealing a 0-5 team loss to Stanford.
The final match of the day pitted Pacific against Santa Clara University. In Match 1, Kinlan and Vaka fell 12-21 and 17-21. Ceriello and Giani lost in straight sets, 16-21 and 12-21. Brent and Gibson dropped their sets 13-21 and 16-21. Beckett and Davies played a closely contested match but ultimately fell 18-21 and 19-21. In the final match, Priebe and Abougoush led the effort, but could not secure a win. Pacific totaled a 0-5 loss to Santa Clara.
Post-tournament, Pacific secured its first victory of the season at the home opener on March 13 against Delta College. On court one, Kinlan and Vaka started strong with a 21-14 win in set one and held on for a 21-17 victory in set two. Giani and Ceriello dominated their first set 21-12, but Delta took the next two sets 21-19 and 18-16 in a tightly contested tiebreaker. With the match score tied at 1-1, Brent and Gibson delivered a 21-15, 21-13 victory. Beckett and Davies followed with a similar performance, winning 21-13 and 21-17. In the final match, Priebe and Abougoush dropped the first set 13-21 but rebounded with a commanding 21-8 win, forcing a decisive third set. They secured the victory with a 15-11 finish, clinching a 4-1 win for Pacific and improving the team’s record to 1-6.
The Beach Volleyball squad will hit the road again for a matchup against Saint Mary’s on March 21, followed by a doubleheader against the University of San Francisco on March 22. We wish these Tigers the best of luck!
For all the latest on Pacific Beach Volleyball, be sure to follow the team on X (@PacificBVB), Instagram (@pacificbeachvb).