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Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Espinosa, Bejarno prep for next point

Beach Volleyball Payne Moses

Second GSAC Weekend In Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita, Calif. - Following six non-conference matches, the Lady Firestorm are eager to get back on the court with familiar GSAC foes as the race to Huntington Beach heats up. The first of four matches begins with #7 The Master's, who is the host school of this season's second GSAC weekend. OUAZ is the lone conference opponent the Firestorm will not compete against while in Santa Clarita.

After 14 matches, ACU (9-5, 3-2 GSAC) retains third place and still trail #6 Vanguard (5-3 GSAC) and #1 OUAZ (5-0 GSAC) in the conference standings. Amaya Brown/Katzer went 1-1 this past week to maintain their status as the top Firestorm pair (10-4), two others (Brown/Brown and McCall/Scheepens) on their heels with an 8-6 partnership. Two new pairings (Sydney Shaw/Brianna Boeckman and Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra) debuted this past Thursday against Wayne State College.

Game Details

#3 Arizona Christian at #7 The Master's - Thursday, March 14 at 4:00 PM
#3 Arizona Christian at Life Pacific - Friday, March 15 at 10:00 AM
#3 Arizona Christian at #6 Vanguard - Friday, March 15 at 2:00 PM
#3 Arizona Christian at RV Hope International - Saturday, March 16 at 12:00 PM

TMU Beach Volleyball Courts - Santa Clarita, CA

*All Time Listed Are Arizona Time

Arizona Christian

The Lady Firestorm faced their second straight NCAA Division II opponent in Concordia University Irvine this past Saturday, and were shut out 5-0 at OC Great Park. Coach Burwick's alma mater proved stingy, as the Golden Eagles won all five matches in straight sets. 

Two days prior, the Sandy Birds muscled their way to a 3-2 victory over Wayne State College with lightning on the doorstep and wind very much a factor at Victory Lane Sports Complex. Following a 1-1 split between the number two and four pairs, Arizona Christian secured their third consecutive win by taking the five and one matches through the finish line.

Sydney Shaw and Brianna Boeckman paired up for the first time this season and outlasted the Wildcat's Brooklyn Kusler/Molly Romano in two sets, featuring a marathon 26-24 first set. Haley Brown/Riley Brown could not pull off a comeback, falling 16-14 in the third set to WSC's Jordan McCormick/Channatee Robles.

The five-spot dynamo Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer secured the Firestorm's second point and their 10th win of 2024 in straight sets (21-17, 21-17). Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens clinched ACU's latest victory and first over a non-NAIA program this season with identical set scores (21-17, 21-17).

ACU Key Pairs

Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer - 10-4
Sydney Shaw/Railey Dykstra - 8-4
Haley Brown/Riley Brown - 8-6
Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens - 8-6
Eliana Cho/Brianna Boeckman - 5-7

Series Notes

A 4-1 Firestorm victory on February 16th moves their all-time record to 2-7 against The Master's. ACU's triumph over the Mustangs was also their first win against a top-10 ranked opponent since April 8, 2022 (3-2 over #4 The Master's). After the two and four pairs took care of business, Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer clinched the match with a 21-15, 21-17 two-set sweep.

ACU improved to 5-0 all-time against the Life Pacific Warriors with a 4-1 win on February 17th. Brown/Katzer once again had the honor of clinching the match for the Firestorm in the five pair. Two duos won their sets by a combined 16 points (Brown/Brown and Shaw/Dykstra).

A 3-2 loss on February 16th kept the Firestorm winless (0-9) against the Vanguard Lions. The one-point is the smallest margin in this all-time series. Two matches went the distance, ACU's McCall/Scheepens defeating VU's number one pair 21-17, 18-21, 15-13. 

The Firestorm defeated the Hope International Royals 3-2 in their final match on February 17th to better their all-time record to 5-2-1. Everything knotted up through four matches, Boeckman/Cho did not shy away from the moment and delivered a 15-12 third set and supplied the Firestorm with the clinching point.
 
The Master's

The Master's University Mustangs (4-7, 3-4 GSAC) earned their second win over a NAIA Top-10 opponent this season by downing #2 Westcliff 4-1 on March 1st. This past weekend, TMU went 1-1 with a 4-1 loss to RV Hope International and a 5-0 win over Life Pacific. 

Life Pacific

The Life Pacific University Warriors (1-8, 0-7 GSAC) still only have one win to their credit, a 3-2 triumph over Park Gilbert on February 16th. Mackenzie Stewart and Kate Murray, LPU's three pair, were named last week's GSAC Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week by going 2-0 in their bouts with Vanguard and Saint Katherine. This awarding marked the first time LPU Beach Volleyball has received this honor.

Vanguard

The Vanguard University Lions (6-9, 5-3 GSAC) have one NAIA Top-10 victory on their resume, a 4-1 win over #7 The Master's on February 23rd. Last weekend, VU took home a 2-2 record by splitting two matches against NCAA Division II competition (defeated Cal State LA and lost to CUI) and two GSAC matches (defeated Life Pacific and lost to RV Hope International). They square off with #1 OUAZ prior to their date with the Firestorm.

Hope International

The Hope International University Royals (4-4, 3-3 GSAC) have won their previous four matches dating back to a 5-0 win over Life Pacific on February 23rd. This past weekend, HIU defeated both #7 The Master's (4-1) and #6 Vanguard (3-2) at Huntington Beach. The pair of NAIA Top-10 victories all but assure the Royals a place in the next poll set to be released on March 20th. 

Roll Storm!
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Players Mentioned

Brianna Boeckman

#14 Brianna Boeckman

5' 8"
Junior
Amaya Brown

#18 Amaya Brown

5' 8"
Senior
Haley Brown

#17 Haley Brown

5' 5"
Sophomore
Riley Brown

#15 Riley Brown

5' 6"
Sophomore
Railey Dykstra

#7 Railey Dykstra

5' 8"
Junior
Misty McCall

#4 Misty McCall

5' 6"
Junior
Sydney Shaw

#9 Sydney Shaw

5' 5"
Junior
Emily Katzer

#19 Emily Katzer

5' 7"
Freshman
Eliana Cho

#3 Eliana Cho

5' 6"
Junior
Mia Scheepens

#8 Mia Scheepens

6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Brianna Boeckman

#14 Brianna Boeckman

5' 8"
Junior
Amaya Brown

#18 Amaya Brown

5' 8"
Senior
Haley Brown

#17 Haley Brown

5' 5"
Sophomore
Riley Brown

#15 Riley Brown

5' 6"
Sophomore
Railey Dykstra

#7 Railey Dykstra

5' 8"
Junior
Misty McCall

#4 Misty McCall

5' 6"
Junior
Sydney Shaw

#9 Sydney Shaw

5' 5"
Junior
Emily Katzer

#19 Emily Katzer

5' 7"
Freshman
Eliana Cho

#3 Eliana Cho

5' 6"
Junior
Mia Scheepens

#8 Mia Scheepens

6' 0"
Junior