STANFORD – The No. 14 Cal beach volleyball team likes to tease No. 5 pair Teya Neff and Bridget Gustafson for the constant "Yay" vibes they exude.

Their performance on the sand during the opening weekend of the 2017 season gave them and the rest of the Bears a lot of reasons to celebrate.

Neff and Gustafson completed a perfect weekend Sunday that helped Cal get off to an unblemished start as a team, as the Golden Bears knocked off Cal Poly 3-2 and Santa Clara 4-1 to go 4-0 at the season-opening Stanford Tournament.

"We like to give them a hard time for having a lot of 'Yay' vibes, but they really are just having a lot of fun out there," Cal coach Meagan Schmitt said. "They are very similar in disposition and have a great perspective on the game."

The perpetually positive Neff and Gustafson didn't drop a set in winning all four of their matches during the tournament. Each of their wins proved to be pivotal, especially in three of Cal's victories that came by a 3-2 final score.

"(Assistant coach) Owen (Monroy) says we are so positive it makes him sick," Neff said. "I feel like we are both very smiley and very positive, but we also take it very seriously. We always play with intention. We are just positive people."

The duo's performance over the weekend was certainly a big positive. As part of the order of play, the No. 5 match was the first to be played during each dual so Neff and Gustafson gave the Bears an early lead each time. They won most of their eight sets handily; one exception came Sunday against Cal Poly when they staved off three set points in the first set, erasing a 20-17 deficit to win 22-20.

"Bridget and Teya are dominating right now," Schmitt said. "They do a great job of staying even-keeled during their matches. If the opposing team has a great play, they just move on to the next point rather than get caught up in what happened."

The Bears' No. 4 pair of freshmen Nicole Anderson and Iya Lindahl also went 4-0 during the weekend, as Cal's new-and-improved depth this season helped carry them to victories. The Bears' top pairs received stiff tests while the back end of the lineup made sure Cal registered the team win.

"Winning at 5s and 4s – it's our responsibility to help the rest of the team," Neff said. "We have so much depth on our team. We understand the significance of being the 5-seed. If we can clinch a win at the 5-seed, it makes a big difference for our team as a whole."

The Bears return to Stanford next Saturday for another tournament. Cal will take on Utah and No. 13 Stanford.

 
No. 14 Cal 3, Cal Poly 2
No. 1: Emily Sonny-Hannah Hubbard (CP) def. Bryce Bark-Mia Merino, 21-11, 21-14
No. 2: Grace Campbell-Olivia Rodberg (Cal) def. Raeann Griesen-Heather Pembroke, 21-13, 22-20
No. 3: Van Winden-Gorman (CP) def. Jessica Gaffney-Camille Stepanof, 21-16, 21-15
No 4: Nicole Anderson-Iya Lindahl (Cal) def. Taylor Gruenewald-Brayden Gruenewald, 21-12, 21-17
No. 5: Teya Neff-Bridget Gustafson (Cal) def. Dora Beilin-Holland Boege, 22-20, 21-18
 
No. 14 Cal 4, Santa Clara 1
No. 1: Bryce Bark-Mia Merino (Cal) def. Nikki Hess-Allison Kantor, 21-19, 21-19
No. 2: Kirsten Mead-Jensen Cunningham (SCU) def. Grace Campbell-Olivia Rodberg, 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
No. 3: Jessica Gaffney-Camille Stepanof (Cal) def. Hailey Lindberg-Taylor Laugero, 21-10, 21-11
No. 4: Nicole Anderson-Iya Lindahl (Cal) def. Tatiana San Juan-Michelle Gajdka, 21-18, 21-16
No. 5: Teya Neff-Bridget Gustafson (Cal) def. Ngozi Nwabuzoh-Erin Reineking, 21-12, 21-17