10/28/2026 5:20 PM | Beach Volleyball
The Golden Bears Duo Ran The Table In Huntington Beach.
The California Golden Bears beach volleyball team took to the sand in Huntington Beach, California, this past weekend for the Surf City Collegiate Challenge.
With bids still on the table for next month's AVCA Pairs National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, it was Cal's duo of Emma Donley and All-American LSU transfer Julia Sprecher who were the last pair standing in the Gold Playoffs.
The Golden Bear duo went 3-0 in pool play, taking down pairs from Hawaii, Saint Mary's and Long Beach State. Once they got into the opening round of the gold bracket, they handled UCLA's Harper Cooper and Adelina Okazaki in two sets, winning 21-19 and 21-16. They were then pushed to the brink by Florida State's Gella Andrew and Saofe Duval in the semifinals.
Cal's top pair took the opening set 21-19 before dropping the second, 21-16.
In the third set, Donley and Sprecher squeezed out a narrow 15-13 victory, advancing to a meeting with USC's Madison Goellner and Jordyn Scribner in the final.
Unlike in the previous two matches, the final saw the Cal duo overcome early adversity. The Trojan duo took a tightly contested first set by a score of 24-22, while Cal exploded in the second set, winning 21-14. In the third set's race to 15, it was Donley and Sprecher who came out on top, notching the 15-12 victory.
With the win, they officially clinched a bid to the AVCA Collegiate Beach Pairs National Championship, joining another Cal duo that has yet to be revealed.
For further coverage of Cal beach volleyball, follow the Bears on Instagram (@calbeachvb) and X (@calbeachvb).
