Mesa, Ariz.- At the 2026 NAIA National Invitational at Arizona Athletic Grounds, Arizona Christian closed its season with a hard-fought run that ended in the quarterfinals.

In the final match of Pool B on Friday afternoon, the Firestorm battled New College of Florida in a thriller. After dropping the first wave to the Banyans, ACU stormed back with a reverse sweep to claim a 3-2 victory.

At the threes, Alyssa Robles and Abigail Nelson delivered a straight-sets win (21-19, 21-13), marking their 23rd victory of the season as a duo (both ladies end the season 26-2 individually). Kapri Espinosa and Lilly Petersen secured a pivotal point at the fives, taking the opening set 21-17, falling in the second, and responding with a 15-11 win in the decider to even the match at 2-2.

All eyes turned to the ones, where Emily Casner and Emee Fellens rallied after a narrow 22-24 first-set loss. The duo answered with a 21-16 win in set two and edged out a dramatic 17-15 victory in the third to clinch the team win.

Arizona Christian finished 1-2 in Pool B, advancing to the quarterfinals to face GSAC rival OUAZ, who went undefeated in Pool A.

The Spirit took control early, sweeping the fours and twos in the first wave. In the second wave, OUAZ secured the clinching point at the fives to complete a 3-0 sweep.

Robles and Nelson were leading at the threes, while Casner and Fellens were still competing at the ones when the match was decided—both contests going unfinished.

With the loss, the Firestorm's season comes to an end at the national quarterfinal stage.