Last weekend, No. 3 seed Stanford Beach Volleyball lost to No. 11 LSU in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, ending the winningest season in program history. During the match, underdog LSU won three of the five matches in close three-set matches. This gave the Cardinal an unexpected loss in the same round they lost last year.
“I can't think of a better word, it sucked,” senior and team captain Kate Riley ’24 said. “I felt really, really confident.”
Riley and Frosh's Clara Stowell '27 scored the first points of the match with a decisive two-set victory, 21-16, 21-16, but the remaining four courts remained in a tense three-set battle. I watched it change.
“It's just a big anxiety and high-pressure moment and you're just watching everything unfold and hoping for the best,” Riley said. “Everyone was fighting.”
The Cardinal scored the next points of the match on Court 1 after senior Zolani Hodel '24 and frosh Brooke Rockwell '27 won 12-21, 22-20, 15-8. However, sophomore Kelly Berardi, 26, and frosh Chloe Hoffman, 27, lost on Court 3, while sophomore Ashley Vincent, 26, and senior Maya Harvey, 24, collapsed on Court 5, resulting in the final The showdown drew attention.
“A lot of people on the team still had no doubt that we were going to lose,” Vincent said.
But after dragging out a typically 15-point third set to a close score of 20-20, Stanford junior Taylor Wilson ’25 and freshman Ruby Sola ’27 finally made the final score 18-21, 22 We lost the final match by 20 vs. 24-22.
“When the winning goal was scored and we lost, it was a little surreal,” Vincent said. “People were confident we would win.”
Despite the unexpected end to the season, the Cardinal achieved an unprecedented record of individual and program wins. The 32-6 record marks the team's fourth straight year with the program's best record.
“When I was a freshman, we weren't even ranked, or maybe we were, but we were scraping at the bottom,” Riley said. Well, this year we went to the NCAA Tournament and the team was ranked 3rd.
“I remember going to practice walking with coach the first week and thinking, ‘Wow, we’ve got a really good group this year,’” Riley said.
The Cardinal also defeated beach volleyball powerhouse USC for the first time earlier this season. USC, the No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Championship, ultimately won the championship with a 3-0 victory over No. 2 UCLA.
“We went into this game not only hoping to upset teams like USC and UCLA, but knowing we could do it,” Riley said.
Despite the similar ending, there were clear similarities from last season's appearance at the NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championships, where the then-No. 9 Cardinal won their first NCAA Tournament championship.
“Even though it ended the same way, it felt very different,” Vincent said. “The expectations were definitely a lot higher, so it's tough to get over that, but it was a lot more special to get through it.”
LSU's loss ended the collegiate beach volleyball careers of eight alumni.
“They each led the team in their own way this year and created a really special and very loving environment for everyone,” Vincent said of the team's seniors.
There is no shortage of talent on the team, as evidenced by the number of freshmen and sophomores in the starting lineup. Additionally, the seniors are ready to see what kind of impact Sand will have on the team next year.
“I hope they break records because I know they can do it,” Riley said. “I’m really excited to be part of their family and watch them play.”