STANFORD WEST COAST CLASSIC
STANFORD BEACH VOLLEYBALL STADIUM
STANFORD, CA
 
FRIDAY, APRIL 17
PEPPERDINE VS. NO. 7 CAL | 11 A.M. PT | LIVE STATS
NO. 7 CAL VS. NO. 2 STANFORD | 5 P.M. PT | LIVE STATS | BIG TEN NETWORK PLUS
SATURDAY, APRIL 18
NO. 7 CAL VS. NO. 6 CAL POLY | 11 A.M. PT | LIVE STATS
SAN JOSE STATE VS. NO. 7 | 3 P.M. PT | LIVE STATS
 
 
BERKELEY – Armed with its highest ranking of the season, the No. 7 California beach volleyball team closes out the 2026 regular season this weekend at the Stanford West Coast Classic. The Golden Bears (20-9) will get an opportunity against two more top 10 opponents as they look to continue to build momentum heading into the postseason.

Cal climbed two spots in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll this week and at No. 7 has its highest ranking since it was also No. 7 last March. The Bears are coming off a 4-1 win over then-No. 8 and defending NCAA champion TCU in their final dual of last week's Center of Effort Challenge in San Luis Obispo.

Following this week's play at Stanford, Cal will head to Spiker Beach in Huntington Beach for the 2026 MPSF Championships, which begin Wednesday.

 
DONLEY NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALIST
Junior Emma Donley has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 AVCA National Collegiate Beach Player of the Year Award. Donley and partner Portia Sherman have a record of 25-3 this season, with nine victories over pairs from top 10 opponents and another six against duos that are nationally ranked. All three of their defeats have come against top 10 teams.

RANKINGS TALK
The Bears' two-spot gain was the most of any team in this week's AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll. They spent the last four weeks at No. 9 after spending the previous three weeks in the No. 10 spot. Cal began the season ranked No. 9. All-Americans Emma Donley and Portia Sherman climbed to the No. 3 spot in TruVolley's pair rankings this week – also their highest rating of the year.

FISHER, DONLEY REACH MILESTONES: Senior Gia Fisher and junior Emma Donley each reached the 75-career win milestone last week, joining just six others in program history to reach that mark. Senior Portia Sherman also accomplished the feat earlier this year.

SHERMAN, DONLEY SET PROGRAM STANDARD
Cal's No. 1 pair of Emma Donley and Portia Sherman became the program's all-time leader in career pair wins earlier this season. Now with 53 victories, the duo eclipsed the previous Golden Bear mark of 37 set by Grace Campbell and Maddie Micheletti. Donley and Sherman are also 25-3 this season, making them three wins short of matching the program's single-season pair wins record that they set last season with 28.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior Portia Sherman became the sixth player in program history register 75 career wins when she and partner Emma Donley defeated San Jose State earlier this month in Berkeley. Now with 80 victories, she is now in fifth place on the team's all-time list and needs two more to move into a tie for third. Ella Dreibholz is the Bears' all-time leader in individual victories with 105.

NEW HOME
The Bears will move into a new facility in 2027 – the Banatao Family Beach Volleyball Stadium. The project is being partially funded by Cal's successful Gender Equity Campaign that raised $8 million and allows for the campus' continued commitment to and compliance with Title IX – the landmark federal law that was enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of financial aid.

HEAD COACH MEAGAN OWUSU
Head Coach Meagan Owusu is in her 10th season at the helm at Cal and has established the Bears as a consistent national power. Cal has qualified for each of the past four NCAA Championships and has ended the season ranked in the top 12 for eight straight years – including four straight top 10 finishes. Owusu was also a defensive specialist for Cal's indoor program from 2007-2010 and helped the Bears reach their only two NCAA Final Fours in history.

 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal beach volleyball, follow the Bears on Instagram (@calbeachvb) and X (@calbeachvb).