SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The San Francisco beach volleyball squad closed their season on the sand on Friday at the WCC Championships, falling to No. 2 Saint Mary's and No. 6 Loyola Santa Clara at Ocean Park Beach.

In the first match of the day, the Dons were swept by Saint Mary's for the third time this season, falling in two at every position to the second-seeded Gaels. The Dons nearly pulled off the victory in the afternoon, taking No. 6 seed Santa Clara to the wire in a 3-2 dual. 

The Broncos showed their strength in the bottom half of the lineup, earning straight-set wins at Nos.  4 and 5. Meanwhile, the Dons were out in force in Nos. 1, 2 and 3, playing to tough three-set battles against Santa Clara. USF earned come-from-behind wins on Courts 1 and 3.

Carly Lowry and Dane Miller defeated Hailey Lindberg and Taylor Laguero, 21-23, 21-14, 15-10, for their second win of the year over their Bronco foes. At No. 1, USF's lone senior Emily Reed and partner Nora Buvarp Lavik downed Nikki Hess and Allison Kantor, 16-21, 21-16, 17-15 and the match was square with one tandem still on the sand.

No. 2 pairing Marjolijn Oskam and Camille Araujo took on Kirsten Mead and Jensen Cunningham in a three-set thriller. Set one went to the Dons with a 23-21 extra-point decision. Set two proved to be another evenly-played frame, separated by two points as Mead and Cunningham forced a third set. The Broncos tandem took the final set 15-10 to advance in the double-elimination tournament and close out USF's season.

The Broncos would go on to upend No. 4 Pacific to move to the second day of competition as the lowest seed to advance, along with No. 1 seed and third-ranked Pepperdine, No. 2 Saint Mary's and No. 3 Loyola Marymount.
 

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No. 2 Saint Mary's 5, No. 7 USF 0
Friday, April 21 | Santa Monica, Calif. (Ocean Park Beach)
1. Payton Rund/Lindsey Knudsen (SMC) def. Emily Reed/Nora Buvarp Lavik (USF); 21-14, 21-11
2. Sarah Chase/Emily Bible (SMC) def. Marjolijn Oskam/Camille Araujo (USF); 21-14, 21-15
3. Mary Hernandez/Alexis Salmons (SMC) def. Carly Lowry/Dane Miller (USF); 21-16, 21-18
4. Alexsa Parker/Lindsey Calvin (SMC) def. Kate Ashman/Shannon Levinson (USF); 21-17, 21-19
5. Madi Wilkerson/Sienna Young (SMC) def. Montana Green/Trish Koutsoukos (USF); 21-12, 21-17
 
No. 6 Santa Clara 3, No. 7 USF 2
Friday, April 21 | Santa Monica, Calif. (Ocean Park Beach)
1. Emily Reed/Nora Buvarp Lavik (USF) def. Nikki Hess/Allison Kantor (SCU); 16-21, 21-16, 17-15
2. Jensen Cunningham/Kirsten Mead (SCU) def. Marjolijn Oskam/Camille Araujo (USF); 23-21, 19-21, 15-10
3. Carly Lowry/Dane Miller (USF) def. Hailey Lindberg/Taylor Laguero (SCU); 21-23, 21-14, 15-10
4. Tatjana San Juan/Michelle Gajdka (SCU) def. Kate Ashman/Shannon Levinson (USF); 21-14, 21-18
5. Erin Reineking/Callie Jones (SCU) def. Montana Green/Trish Koutsoukos (USF); 21-13, 21-13