HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- Sacramento State dropped matches to both CSUN (4-1) and sixth-ranked Long Beach State (5-0) in the first day of the Big West Beach Volleyball Challenge on Saturday.
The two-day event, which features five of the Big West Conference's six teams playing each other in a round robin format, will conclude tomorrow for Sacramento State with two more matches. The Hornets will play a pair of nationally ranked teams tomorrow in fifth-ranked Hawai'i at 11 a.m. and 20th-ranked Cal Poly at 2 p.m. Each of the five teams at the tournament will play four matches over two days.
With the losses, the Hornets fall to 3-4 this season while CSUN (Cal State Northridge) improved to 3-6 and Long Beach State moved its record to 15-3. Of Sacramento State's four losses this season, two have come against nationally ranked opposition, including a 4-1 defeat at 11th-ranked Cal on March 18.
The Hornets' lone victory today came at the No. 5 spot where Courtney Dietrich and Brigitte Murdock won their match against CSUN's Nic Pinkney and Nico Stark by a 21-17, 18-21, 15-11 score. Kennedy Kurtz and Sarah Davis also took their opponent to three sets at No. 2, but eventually fell by a 17-21, 21-11, 15-6 score.
Against the sixth ranked team in the nation in Long Beach State, the Hornets dropped all five matches in straight sets. Dietrich and Murdock kept things close at No. 5, but fell, 21-15, 21-17.
The Hornets were playing without the services of Shannon Boyle (back) who had been 3-1 at No. 2 with Lexie Skalbeck this season.
CSUN 4, Sacramento State 1
1. Julie Haake/Katie Sato (CSUN) def. Madeline Cannon/Lexie Skalbeck (SAC) 21-16, 21-14
2. Maddie Leiphardt/Nickeisha Williams (CSUN) def. Kennedy Kurtz/Sarah Davis (SAC) 17-21, 21-11, 15-6
3. Aeryn Owens/Erin Indermill (CSUN) def. Skyler Takeda/Brie Gathright (SAC) 21-17, 21-12
4. Kristey Markle/Autumn Russell (CSUN) def. Hannah Meadows/Lana Brown (SAC) 21-13, 21-18
5. Courtney Dietrich/Brigitte Murdock (SAC) def. Nic Pinkney/Nico Stark (CSUN) 21-17, 18-21, 15-11
#6 Long Beach State 5, Sacramento State 0
1. Rachel Nieto/Nele Barber (LBSU) def. Morgan Stanley/Madeline Cannon (SAC) 21-11, 21-13
2. Sasha Karelov/Kobi Pekich (LBSU) def. Brie Gathright/Lexie Skalbeck (SAC) 21-15, 21-11
3. Hailey Harward/Anete Brinke (LBSU) def. Sarah Davis/Kennedy Kurtz (SAC) 21-10, 21-6
4. Morea Wagner/Heather Weiss (LBSU) def. Skyler Takeda/Lana Brown (SAC) 21-11, 21-13
5. Jenelle Hudson/Megan Kruidhof (LBSU) def. Brigitte Murdock/Courtney Dietrich (SAC) 21-15, 21-17
