GULF SHORES, Ala. – Despite a late start to the match, it was an early finish to the day for No. 6 seed Cal Poly, who swept through No. 11 seed LSU in the first round of the 2025 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship as The Big West split the day.
The Mustangs improve to 30-7 on the season to reach the 30-win mark in consecutive seasons. Cal Poly moves onto the quarterfinal round in the 16-team single-elimination bracket to face off with third-seeded Stanford on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT.
The contest will be a rematch of an April 11 meeting in the Cal Poly-hosted Center of Effort Challenge, won 4-1 by the Cardinal. All eight higher seeded teams nabbed wins in Friday’s first round, with six matches coming in sweeping fashion, including by both the Mustangs and Cardinal.
Cal Poly’s day on the sand opened with first-set victories on all five courts, with the All-American No. 1 tandem of Piper Ferch and Erin Inskeep winning the frame 21-14. Court 1 was the only one to not need extra points to grab the match lead.
Ella Connor and Madi Nichols were the first to claim a dual point, getting the 22-20, 21-14 victory on Court 1 after Nichols aced the Tiger tandem with a shot on the line to give the Mustangs the advantage.
Next to finish was the 5s after Abbey Reinard and Elise Lenahan coupled their extra-point 26-24 first set score with the 21-10 second set to put Cal Poly into clinching position. The next court to finish was at the No. 1s, as All-Americans Parker Bracken and Gabi Bailey of LSU extended the match to a third frame and delay the Mustang celebration.
The third flight for Cal Poly, Quinn Perry and Lindsey Sparks, were able seal the sweep. After taking the first set 24-22, Perry served up an ace to set up a set, match and dual point in the second and force LSU to the timeout. With Perry again back for the serve, LSU was able to return the ball to the back half of the court. A diving dig for Sparks was followed by a play for Perry that cleared the tape and fell to the sand on LSU’s side to send the Mustangs flying high to the quarterfinals.
“We treated them as the No. 1 team in the nation,” reflected Sparks, a graduate student from Huntington Beach, Calif., after the match on ESPN2. “LSU does historically well in the nattys so we went in with the mindset of alright we’ve got to destroy them, we’ve got to come out with our best selves.”
And that they did.
Playing in the morning match, No. 9 Long Beach State fell 3-1 at the hands of No. 8 seed Florida State to wrap their season with an overall record of 27-8 and a Big West Championship title. The Beach were one of two non-advancing teams in the first round to steal a point from their opponent, joining No. 10 seed California who fell to seventh-seeded Texas, 3-2.
The Seminoles got on the board first on Court 4 with LBSU duo of Skyler Germann and Natalie Glenn responding at the 3s with the 21-12, 21-15 win. FSU took the lead on Court 2 and sealed their victory at No. 5 with a 23-21, 21-19 win over Tineke Hinton and Mahala Esser.
The top-flight match was unfinished as the All-American Big West Pairs Team of the Year Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah took the first set from fellow All-Americans Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig, 21-18. The FSU pairing knotted it up after a 21-19 second set and both teams were battling earlier in the third frame before the Seminoles secured their third point to win the dual.
National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship – First Round
No. 6 seed Cal Poly 3, No. 11 seed LSU 0
No. 1 – Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) vs. Parker Bracken/Gabi Bailey (LSU), 21-14, 18-21, 1-2 (unfinished)
No. 2 – Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) vs. Aubrey O’Gorman/Camryn Chatellier (LSU), 26-24, 18-15 (unfinished)
No. 3 – Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) def. Elle Evers/Julia Sprecher (LSU), 24-22, 21-19
No. 4 – Ella Connor/Madi Nichols (CP) def. Skylar Martin/Emily Meyer (LSU), 22-20, 21-14
No. 5 – Abbey Reinard/Elise Lenahan (CP) def Kate Baker/Tatum Finlason (LSU), 26-24, 21-10
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3*
No. 8 seed Florida State 3, No. 9 seed Long Beach State 1
No. 1 – Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) vs. Alesix Duris/Audrey Koenig (FSU), 21-18, 19-21, 2-4 (unfinished)
No. 2 – Gella Andrew/Maddie Trusty (FSU) def. Julia Westby/Haley Carrington (LBSU), 21-18, 22-20
No. 3 – Skyler Germann/Natalie Glenn (LBSU) def. Bailey Higgins/Carra Sassack, 21-12, 21-15
No. 4 – Makenna Wolfe/Myriah Massey (FSU) def. Demi Wagdy/Megan Widener (LBSU) 21-14, 22-20
No. 5 – Kenzie Hultquist/Jordan Boulware (FSU) def. Tineke Hinton/Mahala Esser (LBSU), 23-21, 21-19
Order of finish: 4, 3, 2, 5*