By Vincent Rupena – Spear Reporter
Photo by Aikman Fang – The Spear
San Jose State beach volleyball (1-4, 0-0 MW) won only one of four games in the Battle of the Bay tournament hosted by Stanford on March 1-2.
The Spartans’ troubles started early with a loss against Saint Mary’s 3-2. The opening duel against SJSU head coach Gary Hodge’s former team was a close battle filled with multiple sets that went into extended time.
Struggles only continued for the Spartans going into their second duel against U.C. Davis. SJSU scored only one point from a hard fought three-match set and finished the duel 4-1.
The Spartans biggest challenge of the weekend came at the end of the tournament. In the team’s final game against Stanford resulted in a 5-0 blowout loss.
From start to finish the Cardinal were in full control of the matchup. SJSU was not able to win a single set in all five matches.
Although SJSU lost the majority of its duals, there were still some positives that can be taken away.
Senior Cheyenne Rice and sophomore Teila Allen performed very well throughout the two days of play. The pairing won three of their four matches, with the only defeat coming against Stanford.
Rice and Allen came up huge in a crucial third set to win their match against Oregon’s junior Daley McClellan and senior Alina Valenti 15-8. This match provided SJSU with the final point needed to win the dual.
Not a single pairing is the same from last season. The Spartans are still figuring themselves out. It is early in the season and the team should continue to grow as they get more playing experience.
Hodge was very excited about the team’s development at the end of the tournament. “The growth is obvious, the trajectory of our team is obvious and we’re heading in the right direction,” Hodge said.
Next up SJSU is scheduled to face off against USF at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the College of Marin.
