Glendale, Ariz. - The Arizona Christian Sandy Birds mastered blustery conditions and handed the #1 OUAZ Spirit their first GSAC loss of the season with a 3-2 victory on a special Senior Day. With the win, ACU snapped a 15-match losing streak in their all-time series with OUAZ and finished 2024 a perfect 4-0 at Victory Lane Sports Complex.
The match tied 2-2, number one pair Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall carried the team's hope of an upset. Following a two-set split, Scheepens/McCall won the first three points of the third and controlled it the rest of the way en-route to a 15-8 tally and match victory. Every member of the Firestorm was there to witness the feat along with a huge crowd, both hanging on every point.
Haley Brown/Riley Brown won perhaps the most important point of the night in the two pairing. After dropping the first set, the twins stormed back to win the second (21-18) and successfully came back by taking a drama-filled third set (19-17). Instead of putting themselves in a 2-0 hole, Brown/Brown resurrected the Firestorm's chances with a 1-1 tie.
The rock-solid duo of Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer secured their 15th victory as a partnership with a dominant 21-11 second set. Their effort, as it so often has this season, cleared the stage for a match-clinching point.
About 15 minutes before the first wave of matches got underway, the following seniors were recognized for their commitment to the Beach Volleyball program:
Daniela Bejarano,
Misty McCall,
Sydney Shaw and
Amaya Brown.
MATCH INFO
Score: #3 Arizona Christian 3, #1 OUAZ 2
Order of Finish: 4,2,3,5,1
Location: Victory Lane Sports Complex
Time: 6:30 PM
MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
ACU 3, OUAZ 2
1. Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall (ACU) def. Summer Hanks/Diana Enriquez (OUAZ) 21-18, 19-21, 15-8Â
2. Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Mattea Wilson/Olivia Andersh (OUAZ) 18-21, 21-18, 19-17Â
3. Amanda Carlson/Grace Hughes (OUAZ) def. Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra (ACU) 21-19, 21-13Â
4. Shea Marovich/Dayana Raygoza (OUAZ) def. Sydney Shaw/Brianna Boeckman (ACU) 21-16, 21-14Â
5. Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) def. Sam Baer/Savannah Marchese (OUAZ) 21-18, 21-11Â
Ext. Cheyenne Higgins/Amaris Garcia (OUAZ) def. Kapri Espinosa/Daniela Bejarano (ACU) 21-16, 21-19
NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM
Arizona Christian has one more regular-season match ahead of them prior to the GSAC Championship. The Lady Firestorm will square off with GCU for the second time this season on Saturday, April 6th. Action from GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium will get underway at 4:00 PM. Stay up to date with ACU Beach Volleyball by following @acufirestorm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and checking out @firestorm_bvb on Instagram.
Roll Storm!
