USA Ultimate

Pool A

Overall 1 seed Oregon started their tournament against the 2 seed in their pool, Wisconsin Bella Donna. After runs of breaks by each team tied the game 3-3, Fugue pulled away to take half 8-4 behind several big hucks from Sophie Darch and athletic downfield plays from Aubri Bishop. Oregon maintained their efficiency in the second half, pulling away for a 15-7 win.

The biggest surprise of the pool was the 5 seed Ohio State. Coming into the tournament without seeing much west coast competition this season ,Fever shocked Sonoma State in their first game, easily winning the game 15-8. Their second game, against Oregon, proved to be much more exciting than anyone could have expected. The teams traded breaks, with OSU going up 2-0, before Oregon went on a run to take a 7-4 lead.  OSU broke back to get back on serve, with Oregon taking half 8-7. Led by some well-placed hucks from Paige “P Diddy” Soper, OSU scored their O points easily in the second half, and eventually earned a break to take the lead. The teams traded until 14-13 OSU, when Oregon scored 3 straight points to win 16-14 on a hammer from Katie Weatherhead to Aubri Bishop.

As close as that game was, the two most exciting games of the pool involved Texas.  Against Sonoma State, Texas opened up at 9-7 lead, before Maggie Ruden let Sonoma State on a run to go up 11-9.  Texas stepped up their tight man defense, forcing Sonoma State turns and converting to tie the game 12-12.  Receiving going downwind on universe point, Sonoma State worked the disc all the way to the goal line before missing on an upline cut for the win.  Texas eventually worked the disc in for the score, with Shereen Rabie catching the winning score.

The Texas-Wisconsin game followed the same script, with both teams trading until Texas was once again pulling on universe point.  After a long point with many turnovers and calls, Wisconsin was able to score to win 14-13.

Pool B

Delaware showcased intense man-to-man defense on the Element handlers, choosing to bracket downfield on cutters. Sam Peletier had a huge layout poach D to give Sideshow a 3-1 lead. Nikki Ross’ deep pulls helped Sideshow to turn up the defensive pressure. Element did not connect on easy plays, even dropping a pull. After making some adjustments, Element took half 8-7. Exploding out of half, Sarah Davis’ quick handler movement and layout d’s fires up Element who did not look back to earn a 15-11 win over Delaware.

UCLA went up early on Iowa. BLU’s offense was driven by standout handler Sabrina “Kodiak” Fong. Kodiak shredded marks and distributed the disc, forcing Iowa to mix up looks. Iowa made a few offensive adjustments with Jen Nowak connecting with multiple Saucy Nancy receivers deep. UCLA took half 8-7 after Iowa closed the gap. Saucy Nancy’s precision throws from handlers helped Iowa to take the lead after half. The depth in this year’s Iowa roster overwhelmed UCLA’s tighter lines in this game, with Saucy rookies able to run down powerful hucks from Nowak, Chelsea Twohig, and Liza Minor.

Iowa secured a huge upset over Washington to place them at the top of pool B. Saucy Nancy’s depth and poise overcame a variety of defensive looks. Patient give-and-gos and swings from Iowa handlers connected to poppers against several Element zones. Saucy seized opportunities over the top with deep hammer looks by Twohig. Sara Timko generated run-through Ds after hustling down on pulls. Washington relied on Cailey Marsh, Amanda Kostic, and Lucy Williams to work the disc up to fight back to tie at 15s. Iowa worked from the back of the endzone off of Williams’ deep blade pull with Twohig to Minor for the 16-15 win.

Humboldt State went winless against UCLA and Delaware. In the end, Humboldt did not have defensive answers for the dominant handlers on their opponents on the first day of pool play.

Pool C

Stanford played closely with North Carolina. Shellie Cohen lead the Pleiades to victory through her multiple layout D's, unmarkable high backhand breaks, and visionary throws. Though Michela Meister played every point for Stanford, it was not enough. Hilary Vance added several layout D's, but untimely drops cost Stanford in the end, as their 10-10 tie with UNC turned into a 12-10 loss.

Michigan had a great game this morning where they dominated UNC with poise and calm. UNC looked especially tried after their game with Stanford: they really sold out to win and though they won 12-10, they spent a lot of energy. Consequently they were gassed coming into the Michigan game, whereas this was the first game for Michigan so they were rested and pumped. They had also been in Boulder since Sunday, giving them time to acclimate to the Colorado air.

We then went on to see Michigan struggle against a fired up Florida squad, showing that their small roster would catch up with them and going down early. Their tried legs fought hard, but Jackie Fane’s handling prowess and defensive plays helped Florida to take half 8-6. Flywheel used their sideline energy to increase intensity, regain focus, and push through to capture the win.

British Columbia demolished Florida and Stanford en route to a 2-0 finish against the 4th and 5th seeds in Pool C. UBC's handlers worked the disc quickly and broke the mark with ease. Catherine Hui, one of the fastest players at the tournament, contributed what seemed like a goal or a D every point she was on the field. Rena Kawabata, another British Columbia standout, cut relentlessly and had the throws to attack downfield.

Pool D

Ottawa nearly shocked Iowa State with an unstoppable connection from Kathryn “K-Po” Pohran to Tessa Van Leeuwen, as Ottawa ran out to the early lead. Iowa State’s Sarah Hoistad and Magon Liu aggressively connected with Becca Miller and Cami Nelson. Woman Scorned clawed back to the lead. Pohran generated more D’s on Liu, forcing universe point. An early huck from Liu to Annikha Murray finished it out, 14-13 Iowa State.

Meanwhile, Virginia pounced on a slow-starting Tufts team to take half 8-2 behind Maggie John (4 assists and 2 goals in the first half). However, Tufts recharged after half and played to their strengths, throwing sharp hucks to isolated receivers and clamping down on defense. Tufts pulled within four, but Virginia closed out to win 15-9.

California successfully defended their #1 seed in Pool D by defeating feisty Ottawa and Virginia. In the first game against Ottawa, Cal relied on Emily Prader (7 assists, 2 goals) and Claire Desmond (5 goals, 2 assists).Ottawa, led by Pohran and Vivianne Fortin, played tight man defense, matching Fortin with Prader. The Pie Queens’ mix of zone and man forced Ottawa turns to help California to pull away to win 14-11.

Virginia earned a break to go up 7-5 against California after trading points through the first half. California answered by scoring six straight points behind their strong zone defense to go up 11-7. Cal showcased depth by relying on Priscilla Menendez and Margaret Weihs rather than Prader and Desmond, who were closely guarded by Hydra defenders. Virginia’s Mary Kelly and Theresa Hackett combined for several D's on Desmond. Virginia’s second half fight was too little too late, and Cal took the win 14-11 in hard cap.

In the only actual upset of the day, Tufts came into their match against Iowa State fired up, keeping the game close with a variety of zone defenses and hammer scores from Qxhna Titcomb and Claudia Tajima. Iowa State continued to huck against the zone, and Tufts' deeps were up to the challenge. The wind picked up at 10-10 and helped Tufts rattle off 5 straight to take it against the typically strong in the wind North Central squad.

 

CBS Sports Day 1 Recap:

 

 

Day 1 photos by Ultiphotos.com