The NCAA hosts 24 sports in a final, single-elimination tournament to mark the end of their respective seasons — and beach volleyball is no exception.
Just because March has passed doesn’t mean the madness has.
Cal beach volleyball will be entering the NCAA tournament following its recent showing at the MPSF championship. The Bears finished the MPSF tournament with a heartbreaking and narrow 3-2 loss to No. 3 USC, which knocked Cal out of the tournament but allowed it to maintain its bid to the NCAA finals as the No. 10 seed, per the selection show Sunday.
The last game against the Trojans came down to the final set, with both pairs battling for every point.
The loss was determined on the fifth court where senior Ella Dreibholz and junior Jenna Colligan matched up against USC’s Madison Goeliner and Kaleigh Truslow. The first two sets were determined by extra points, the first going in Cal’s favor and the second going to the Trojans. USC, however, came out strong for the third set and held its lead to win the set and the game.
“Honestly, it is better to learn from those losses,” said sophomore Emma Donley. “We are ready to come at people now.”
Before the semifinal against the Trojans, the Bears twice beat No. 13 Grand Canyon and were swept by No. 1 UCLA.
No. 2 Stanford upset the Bruins 3-1 to advance to the tournament final, where it earned the conference’s first-ever title in a 3-2 win over USC. UCLA has consistently been ranked first in the nation throughout the season, with this upset only proving the true threat of all the teams entering the NCAA tournament from the West Coast.
After returning to Berkeley for the weekend, Cal heads back on the road for its final and farthest trip for the NCAA tournament. This is the Bears’ fourth consecutive appearance in the tournament, having exited in the second round last year.
Cal is set to face off against No. 7 Texas on Friday, whom it has played twice for a 2-3 loss and then a 3-2 win in March. Despite being familiar foes, the Longhorns will be a tough matchup — not just because they are seeking redemption, but because they are hot off of a Coastal Collegiate Sports Association conference championship win against No. 8 Florida State whom they swept for the title.
The Bears have tried to assert their potential at winning a national title all season, but have continued to fall short in some key moments and had some unlucky finishes in notable losses against Stanford, USC and Texas. Nonetheless, the team is putting their all into finishing off this season on a deserving note.
“Cal hasn’t ever won past the second rounds of NCAA,” Donley said. “I think it would be a huge thing, even if it doesn’t mean winning, just being able to make that milestone.”
Donley and her partner junior Portia Sherman remain the top of the lineup at court one, with little changes being made to the roster since the Hawaii Invitational about two weeks ago.
The Bears have three days to practice in Alabama before taking the courts Friday, sorting out last-minute adjustments and adapting to the conditions 2,367 miles away on an away court disadvantage.
Wind forecasts have been a huge factor for Cal this season because it gets less gusts at home pits than many of its opponents, especially those who regularly practice on an actual beach.
Cal’s first game starts at 11 a.m. May 2 and will be streamed on ESPN.
“I hope the team can show to other people how much effort and togetherness we have,” Donley said. “That’s what makes our team so great.”
