Beach Volleyball 3/28/2024 1:16:00 PM Payne Moses

Rivalry Week Part Two, Sandy Senior Day

Glendale, Ariz. - A trip to Huntington Beach is only two weeks away, but the Lady Firestorm have two reasons to stay focused on the present. On Saturday night, Arizona Christian will scrimmage Mesa Community College prior to a second showdown with the #1 OUAZ Spirit at 6:30 PM. Between matches, four seniors (Daniela Bejarano, Misty McCall, Amaya Brown, Sydney Shaw) will be honored for their years of commitment to the ACU Beach Volleyball program.

Third-ranked ACU (6-3 GSAC) locked up second place in the regular-season GSAC race, but still has much to play for this week. Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer picked up their 14th win as a pair this season after their upset victory against NCAA Division I UTEP and Haley Brown/Riley Brown will enter Saturday with an 11-11 record.

Game Details

#3 Arizona Christian vs. Mesa Community College (Scrimmage) - Saturday, March 30 at 4:30 PM
#3 Arizona Christian vs. #1 OUAZ - Saturday, March 30 at 6:30 PM

Victory Lanes Sports Complex - Glendale, AZ

*All Time Listed Are Arizona Time

Arizona Christian

Though the Sandy Birds did not win a match in the Arizona Invitational, they gained something much greater: validation. Arizona Christian proved they can hang with NCAA Division I competition for the second straight day, earning one point and nearly two others.

Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens, the Firestorm's one pair, came out on top in a three-set thriller against Missouri State. Their shot-making ability was on full display, inspiring fellow Sandy Birds as the last match on the court. The duo rode their momentum into ACU's final match against the host University of Arizona Wildcats, winning the first set before being edged out 16-14 in the third set.

Number three pair Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra owned the second close-call, theirs coming against Missouri State. Following an opening set loss, Cho/Dykstra convincingly won the second (21-17) but were unable to finish the job in the tie-breaking third.

Despite being on the losing end of two sets, five pair Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer pushed Missouri State to their limit with consecutive 21-19 battles.

ACU Key Pairs

Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer - 14-8
Haley Brown/Riley Brown - 11-11
Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens - 10-10
Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra - 3-7
Sydney Shaw/Brianna Boeckman - 3-7

Series Notes

A 4-1 loss on February 21st moved the Firestorm's all-time record to 2-16 against the OUAZ Spirit. Though the losing streak was extended to 15 matches, ACU has taken at least one point from OUAZ in each of the past six matches. The Firestorm dropped three highly-contested matches in three sets, Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer winning their lone point in two sets (25-23, 21-16) at Scottsdale Ranch Park.

OUAZ

The Ottawa University Arizona Spirit (15-3, 9-0 GSAC) secured the GSAC regular-season title with a 4-0 performance on March 15-16 in Santa Clarita, California. Three of these most recent matches were decided by a 3-2 margin (5-0 over Life Pacific). In the most recent NAIA Coaches' Top-10 poll (March 20), the Spirit retained the number one spot in the nation and received all eight first-place votes.

Roll Storm!

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Players Mentioned

#11 Daniela Bejarano: 5' 4"; Senior

#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

#11 Daniela Bejarano
: 5' 4"; Senior

#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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Rivalry Week Part Two, Sandy Senior Day

Players Mentioned

#11 Daniela Bejarano

#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

#11 Daniela Bejarano

#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