April 18, 2011
Click Here for Complete Tournament Results 
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. - The team of Kim Hill and Caitlin Racich captured the gold division title at the 2011 USA Volleyball Beach Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach on Saturday to lead Pepperdine to the team win. The Waves scored a total of 640 points in the team cup standings to edge USC by 20.
Twenty-seven teams battled in nine different pools, with the top 10 pairs advancing to the gold division. The next eight teams went on to compete in the silver bracket, while the remaining squads battled in either a bronze or a seniors' division.
All four Pepperdine teams advanced to the gold division.
"We played real good volleyball this weekend," boasted head women's volleyball coach Nina Matthies. "Everyone competed hard and it was a great way to end our spring season."
Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) and Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS) went a perfect 2-0 in pool play before topping Aly Squires and Pauline Akers of UC Irvine 2-1 (18-21, 21-18, 15-9) in the quarterfinals of the single-elimination gold division playoff.
The semifinal matchup featured Hill and Racich against the Trojans' Katie Fuller and Kendall Bateman. The Waves won in two sets to advance to the championship match.
Emily Cook (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) and Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) also emerged from their pool with a gold division bid despite being the lowest seeded pair in their pool.
In the playoffs, they opened with come-from-behind win against Haleigh Hampton and Ashley Lee of Long Beach State before taking on top-seeded Geena Urango and Natalie Hagglund. Cook and Robinson stunned the favorites with a two set (21-14, 21-17) triumph to earn a spot in the finals along with their teammates.
In the all-Pepperdine final, Hill and Racich claimed the victory 2-0 (21-15, 21-11).
Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) and Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) won their pool and reached the quarterfinals of the gold division playoffs to finish in a tie for fifth place overall.
Kelli Branning (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton HS) and Kelley Larsen (Jamul, Calif./Christian HS) also reached the gold division playoffs and tied for ninth place.
A four-person team exhibition match was also contested, featuring Krista Friedman (La Verne, Calif./St. Lucy's Priory HS), Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS), Janea Rosell (Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS) and Ashley Broadwell (Bothell, Wash./Archbishop Murphy HS) versus a quartet from UC Irvine. After eight sets were played, the squads ended in a 4-4 tie.
Pepperdine topped team cup rankings with 640 points, followed by USC's 620. Long Beach State placed third as a team with 380, followed by UC Santa Barbara with a fourth-best 320 points. UC Irvine, Fresno State and Oxnard College finished in fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.
Click here to read USAVolleybal.org's tournament recap.
