LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State dropped two matches against Top 10 teams to finish their time in the Best of the West in Laguna Beach on Saturday.
 
In the first match of the day, Long Beach State (18-10) battled to a third set in the fifth flight. Coming off of a Big West Pair of the Week performance, Brooke Birch and Kealoha Phillips dropped a close first set before winning the second. Bailey Showalter and Peyton Dueck took the third and grabbed the win 21-19, 18-21, 15-11 to finish off a 5-0 win for Cal Poly (21-4).
 
The Mustangs won the other matches in straight sets, though Long Beach State’s Kiara Edwards and Savannah Standage pushed Quinn Perry and Ashleigh Adams to a 28-26 first set, but the Cal Poly threes used the momentum from that win to take a 28-26, 21-8 win in the third flight.
 
Against No. 2 UCLA (21-4), Long Beach State pushed three matches to a third set but ultimately the Bruins came away with the win in all five matches for a 5-0 victory.
 
UCLA grabbed two quick wins, but Long Beach State pushed to three close defeats to nearly shock the Bruins. The clinching match came in the third flight, where Kaley Matthews and Taylor Ford outlasted Edwards and Standage 17-21, 25-23, 15-13 in a very close match.
 
Similar to the others, Sally Perez and Ensley Alden just edged Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah 18-21, 21-17, 15-12, and in extra points in the third, Victoria Henkel and Mahala Esser lost a thriller to Ava Willimson and Cassie Dodd 23-21, 14-21, 17-15.
 
Long Beach State will host a tri-dual on campus at the LBSU Sand Courts on April 11, hosting Concordia and CSUN beginning at 9 a.m. next Saturday.
 
#6 Cal Poly 5, #10 Long Beach State 0
1) Erin Inskeep and Ella Connor (CP) def. Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah (LBSU), 21-15, 21-14
2) Logan Walter and Izzy Martinez (CP) def. Demi Wagdy and Tineke Hinton (LBSU), 21-16, 21-16
3) Quinn Perry and Ashleigh Adams (CP) def. Kiara Edwards and Savannah Standage (LBSU), 28-26, 21-8
4) Elise Lenahan and Julia Westby (CP) def. Madi Maxwell and Mahala Esser (LBSU), 21-15, 21-14
5) Bailey Showalter and Peyton Dueck (CP) def. Brooke Birch and Kealoha Phillips (LBSU), 21-19, 18-21, 15-11
Order of finish: 2, 1, 4, 3, 5
 
#2 UCLA 5, #10 Long Beach State 0
1) Harper Cooper and Alexa Fernandez (UCLA) def. Demi Wagdy and Tineke Hinton (LBSU), 21-12, 25-23
2) Sally Perez and Ensley Alden (UCLA) def. Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah (LBSU), 18-21, 21-17, 15-12
3) Kaley Matthews and Taylor Ford (UCLA) def. Kiara Edwards and Savannah Standage (LBSU), 17-21, 25-23, 15-11
4) Mallory LaBreche and Adelina Okazaki (UCLA) def. Brooke Birch and Kealoha Phillips (LBSU), 21-17, 21-15
5) Ava Williamson and Cassie Dodd (UCLA) dev. Victoria Henkel and Mahala Esser (LBSU), 23-21, 14-21, 17-15
Order of finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 5