Universe points galore as only one pool went to seed through a jam-packed day
May 26, 2024 by Grace Conerly in Recap with 0 comments
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VERONA, WI – As promised by the forecasters, the players and spectators who suffered through a miserable day of waiting (with scattered outbreaks of ultimate) on Friday were treated to one of the prettiest days in recorded human history. Somehow, the frisbee was even better than the weather. Here’s a rundown of the top happenings — of many — in the women’s division today.
Binghamton Almost, Not Quite Big Enough
SUNY Binghamton Big Bear defeated UCSC Sol in a universe point barn burner, 12-11. The story of the game was the play of Jolie Krebs, who was involved in every single Big Bear score. She also got a game-saving layout block, helped the ultimate community learn a new rule, and threw the assist, all on double game point. In addition, Melissa Torchio, Danielle Dattler, and Arianna Edwards were all crucial for Big Bear in their win. UCSC’s Rachel Chang had a great game, pushing the Sol offense through the zone with crisp throws, and Goodness Nwakudu played lockdown defense, often on Krebs, and was a clutch cutter on the turn.
The universe point was something for the history books. Binghamton pulled to Sol and it felt inevitable that Rachel Chang and Sol would put in a hold as they sent out a fresh line versus Binghamton’s line, who mostly stayed from the previous point. On the goal line, Edwards got one (of her many) game saving blocks to earn possession for Binghamton. But neither team could maintain possession enough to score. Eventually Krebs earned a short field turn with an amazing layout block. The Binghamton cutters backed all the way up into the end zone, allowing Krebs and Torchio to play 2v2 for the win. Perhaps the story of the point, though, was Krebs releasing a disc a hair too quickly, realizing it wouldn’t reach Torchio, and having the presence of mind to tip it to her receiver. Stunned, all turned to the observers who ruled it a travel and returned possession to Krebs, who calm as you like stepped out for a pretty flick to end the marathon.
@Ultiworld Final possession of UC-Santa Cruz vs SUNY-Binghampton at Nationals #Universe #WhatJustHappened pic.twitter.com/m186P2zj0P
— Frank 🐢 (@TheOnlyFrankO) May 25, 2024
This brought Binghamton’s record to 2-2. In most normal years, a 2-2 record is enough to make prequarters, but not in this case. There was a three-way tie for second and third in the pool, and Big Bear lost out on the bracket due to point differential after losing 15-5 to Oregon in the last round.
Stanford Super, Flies Past Carleton
Kicking things off with a bang, Stanford Superfly upset Carleton Syzygy in the first round of the day, 14-13. The story of the game was Carleton’s offensive woes. The usually pristine offense from Carleton looked shaky from start to finish. Some of those woes should be credited to Stanford’s versatile defense: they used a slew of looks — transition zone, junk, and matchup — to keep the Syzygy offense guessing.
A break-heavy first half was followed by a second half of holds, until the final point. The universe stand continued the theme of the game and featured turnovers, hucks into double coverage, and floaty throws. Ultimately, Stanford found the winning score with a classic Esther Filipek to Sage McGinley-Smith connection. After that win, Stanford easily won the next two games and secured the top spot in Pool C. They’ll see the winner of Oregon and UCSD in quarters.
UCSB’s Flame Still Burns
After a concerning loss to SUNY Binghamton the first day, UC Santa Barbara had their backs against the wall in a need-to-win position. In their first game of the day, they rolled over UC Santa Cruz with their depth and athleticism. Their second pool play game of the day was against Oregon, and they needed a win, and an upset one at that. And they got it with heroic performances from Devin Quinn and Laura Blume, who were unstoppable downfield forces and generated crucial breaks for their team. Oregon was obviously tired from the UNC game and their execution took a clear hit.
Fugue found their rhythm later in the game, but it was too little too late. UCSB had the game of their tournament — Riley Raker and Grace Craig made some highlight level grabs. This win secured UCSB’s place in the bracket, a great, and maybe unexpected, turnaround from their slow start on Friday morning.
Quick Hits:
- University of Pennsylvania Venus upset Washington Element 13-10 to make prequarters for the first time since 2009. Dagny Lott and Grace Maroon were key for Venus.
- UC San Diego D-Co played within two of pool winner Tufts Ewo — despite losing that game, they still made prequarters off of point differential over Colorado State and Victoria.
- Michigan Flywheel won a universe point game over Georgia Athena that secured them a place in prequarters.
Looking Ahead
Due to rain delays yesterday, prequarters are moved to tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. Check out the schedule below, as well as our streaming schedule.
D-I College Championships brackets are set! Who’s taking it down this weekend? pic.twitter.com/Af9xaByqhX
— Ultiworld (@Ultiworld) May 26, 2024
