Cal Poly advances to NCAA Beach Volleyball quarterfinals after sweeping LSU

In the first match of her final NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship run, graduate student Lindsey Sparks made two diving saves to keep their second set alive, setting up her partner sophomore Quinn Perry for a hit back onto LSU’s side for the winning point.

The play sealed the win for the No. 3 duo, and a 3-0 sweep for the No. 6 seed Mustangs against No. 11 seed LSU in their first round matchup in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

The Mustangs bottom three pairs delivered on Friday, with each winning in just two sets to clinch the win and move the Mustangs on to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships.

All five Cal Poly pairs won their first sets, with the No. 1 and No. 2 matches being stopped early after the Mustangs secured the 3 wins needed to take the match.

Cal Poly’s No. 5 pair of freshman Elise Lenahan and senior Abby Reinard took down their opponents in dominant fashion, winning 21-10 in a blowout second set to seal their match.

Lenihan is the only member of the starting lineup who wasn’t a part of their tournament run last year.

No. 4 pair of redshirt junior Ella Connor and senior Madi Nichols also got the quick win, also by a wide margin in their second match, 21-14.

The Mustangs will move on to day two of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, May 3 to face No. 3 seeded Stanford, who won their match against Boise State on Friday.

Stanford beat Cal Poly earlier in the season, in a 4-1 win at the Center of Effort Challenge on April 11.

The Mustangs will be looking for redemption on the NCAA stage Saturday, with the match starting at 9 a.m. in Gulf Shores.