Emily Harris

Beach Volleyball 3/21/2024 6:11:00 PM Payne Moses

Lady Firestorm Tussle DIs In Tucson

Tucson, Ariz. - The Sandy Birds head down south to Tucson for the Arizona Invitational this Friday and Saturday. They will step on the court with four NCAA Division I teams, including the host University of Arizona Wildcats who they will face in their final match of the tournament. This marks the second straight year the Firestorm will compete in U of A's signature event.

After a 3-1 weekend, ACU jumped #6 Vanguard (5-5 GSAC) for second place and #1 OUAZ (9-0 GSAC) locked up the regular-season GSAC title. Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer matched the team's record this past week to improve to 13-5 and Haley Brown/Riley Brown fared the same (3-1) to enter the Arizona Invitational at 11-7.

Arizona Christian retained their status as the #3-ranked team in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top-10 poll released yesterday.

Game Details

#3 Arizona Christian at UTEP - Friday, March 22 at 10:00 AM
#3 Arizona Christian at Santa Clara - Friday, March 22 at 4:00 PM
#3 Arizona Christian at Missouri State - Saturday, March 23 at 12:00 PM
#3 Arizona Christian at University of Arizona - Saturday, March 23 at 2:00 PM

Bear Down Beach - Tucson, AZ

*All Time Listed Are Arizona Time

Live Coverage

Live Stats - https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?gid=ariz

Arizona Christian

The Lady Firestorm demonstrated true grit under pressure, needing three sets from their fifth and final pair on the court to defeat RV Hope International 3-2 in Santa Clarita. For the second straight match, Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra answered the call and delivered the clinching point (21-17, 13-21, 15-13) in the third spot.

The twin duo of Haley Brown/Riley Brown outlasted HIU's two pair Stephanie Perez/Ariel Garcia in three sets to put ACU's first point on the board. With the victory, the sisters up their overall record to 11-7 and 6-3 in conference play.

Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer continued to be a backbone for the Firestorm in the five spot, as they survived a 25-23 second set to earn a crucial second point. The pair's latest win retains their status as the top GSAC performer (7-2) for ACU.

Not only did the Sandy Birds successfully sweep their season series with the Royals, but they also completed a second 3-1 GSAC weekend. A second meeting with #1 OUAZ is all that stands between ACU and the GSAC Beach Volleyball Tournament on April 12-13.

ACU Key Pairs

Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer - 13-5
Haley Brown/Riley Brown - 11-7
Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens - 9-9
Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra - 3-3
Sydney Shaw/Brianna Boeckman - 3-3

Series Notes

The Firestorm and Miners will meet for the first time in program history this Friday morning.

Arizona Christian and Santa Clara will play each for the first time on Friday in the Arizona Invitational.

Missouri State defeated Arizona Christian 5-0 in their lone meeting on March 10, 2022 in Glendale. Number one pair, Aubri Green/Brianna Boeckman, were the only ones that took their match to three sets and narrowly lost 16-14.

The Firestorm are 0-2 all-time against the host Wildcats, losing both matches 5-0. Last year's match was also contested in the Arizona Invitational.

UTEP

The University of Texas at El Paso Miners (5-6, 0-2 CUSA) are in the middle of their second-ever season as a varsity program. They are preparing for their second weekend of play in Arizona, having played four matches (one scrimmage) and posting a 3-0 record. The Miners defeated Park Gilbert twice (5-0, 5-0) and Benedictine Mesa (5-0) at Bear Down Beach in Tucson. Katie Martin/Marian Ovalle, a three and four pair duo, possess the Miners' best record (7-4) with the two pair Summer McDonough/Madison Hill second-best at 6-5.

Santa Clara

The Santa Clara University Broncos (3-9, 0-0 WCC) went 1-3 this past weekend, their lone win a 4-1 margin over Pacific on March 16th. Elena Radeff/Katie Kishton, the Broncos' one pair, were also the top pair over the weekend, posting a 3-1 record. Santa Clara has faced five nationally-ranked Division I teams heading into the Arizona Invitational, and will match up against their sixth in #19 University of Arizona on Friday morning.

Missouri State

The Missouri State University Bears (15-2, 0-0 CUSA) won their first 10 matches and an incredible seven by a 5-0 margin. They boast a 9-0 record at home and their pairs have a combined record of 66-17 through March 16th. After two straight losses in the Battle on the Bay Tournament, the Bears have won five straight heading into the Arizona Invitational. Two pairs (Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer and MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary) have amassed an 11-5 record, in the one and two spot respectively, while the three pair Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman hold the most match victories at 14-3.

University of Arizona

The University of Arizona Wildcats (10-3, 1-3 PAC 12) enter their home tournament as the 19th-ranked team in the latest AVCA Collegiate Poll (March 19). They swept both Park Gilbert and Benedictine Mesa on March 14th to remain undefeated at Bear Down Beach (6-0). In their first PAC-12 weekend (March 8 and 10), the Wildcats managed a 1-3 record, their lone victory a 3-2 thriller against University of Utah. Jess Horwath/Kate Phillips (10-3) and Abby Russell/Olivia McElroy (9-4) are U of A's top two pairs, having primarily played in the fourth and second spot respectively.

Roll Storm!

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Players Mentioned

#14 Brianna Boeckman: 5' 8"; Junior

#18 Amaya Brown: 5' 8"; Senior

#17 Haley Brown: 5' 5"; Sophomore

#15 Riley Brown: 5' 6"; Sophomore

#7 Railey Dykstra: 5' 8"; Junior

#4 Misty McCall: 5' 6"; Junior

#9 Sydney Shaw: 5' 5"; Junior

#19 Emily Katzer: 5' 7"; Freshman

#3 Eliana Cho: 5' 6"; Junior

#8 Mia Scheepens: 6' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#14 Brianna Boeckman
: 5' 8"; Junior

#18 Amaya Brown
: 5' 8"; Senior

#17 Haley Brown
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

#15 Riley Brown
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

#7 Railey Dykstra
: 5' 8"; Junior

#4 Misty McCall
: 5' 6"; Junior

#9 Sydney Shaw
: 5' 5"; Junior

#19 Emily Katzer
: 5' 7"; Freshman

#3 Eliana Cho
: 5' 6"; Junior

#8 Mia Scheepens
: 6' 0"; Junior

Arizona Christian University

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Lady Firestorm Tussle DIs In Tucson

Players Mentioned

#14 Brianna Boeckman

#18 Amaya Brown

#17 Haley Brown

#15 Riley Brown

#7 Railey Dykstra

#4 Misty McCall

#9 Sydney Shaw

#19 Emily Katzer

#3 Eliana Cho

#8 Mia Scheepens

Players Mentioned

#14 Brianna Boeckman

#18 Amaya Brown

#17 Haley Brown

#15 Riley Brown

#7 Railey Dykstra

#4 Misty McCall

#9 Sydney Shaw

#19 Emily Katzer

#3 Eliana Cho

#8 Mia Scheepens