PHOENIX, Ariz. – Vanguard beach volleyball headed to the state of Arizona to square off against Golden State Athletic Conference opponents Arizona Christian and OUAZ, earning a split of the two matches at the Grand Canyon Stadium Courts on Friday.
The Lions defeated the Firestorm 3-2 and fell to the fifth-ranked Spirit 4-1. Vanguard is now 1-2 on the season.
Madi Nash and Madison Arnold were the only pair to win both matches. The VU twos came back against both opponents, overcoming a first set loss to win the next two.
Paige Cutwright and Gianna Pecile also earned their first win together at the threes, while Bailey Coffin and Kortney Hitt did the same at the fours.
What Happened?
Vanguard 3, Arizona Christian 2
Cutwright and Pecile clinched the match with a 21-15, 21-19 victory over Brianna Boeckman and Eliana Cho.
The Lions took a 2-0 lead in the match with wins at the fours and twos. Coffin and Hitt cruised to a 21-9, 21-14 win over Sydney Shaw and Railey Dykstra. Nash and Arnold followed with a 18-21, 21-19, 15-13 over the Firestorm sister tandem of Riley Brown and Haley Brown.
ACU got a point back at the fives, where Emily Katzer and Amaya Brown downed Emily Hon and Logan Daniels by scores of 21-18, 21-13. The Firestorm also won at the ones, as Mia Scheepens and Misty McCall outlasted Emma Galloway and Hannah Wilmes in three sets, taking the match 21-17, 18-21, 15-13.
OUAZ 4, Vanguard 1
The Lions took an eight-game winning streak against the Spirit into their first meeting of 2024, but the Spirit defeated the Blue and Gold for the first time since April 17, 2021.
It looked to be tight early on as the two rivals split the first two matches. OUAZ got on the board first as Dayana Raygoza and Shea Marovich toppled fours pair Coffin and Hitt, 21-15, 21-16. The Lions responded at the twos as Nash and Arnold showed their mettle with a three-set, 18-21, 21-17, 15-10, triumph over Mattea Wilson and Olivia Andersh.
But the Spirit took over from there. Gabriella Corrales and Sam Baer gave OUAZ a 2-1 lead with a straight set 21-15, 21-18 triumph over Hon and Daniels.
The VU threes battled, but fell short as Cutright and Pecile could not overcome Amanda Carlson and Grace Hughes. After a 21-14 loss, the Lions clawed back with a 21-19 victory in set two, only to fall 15-10 in the decisive third set.
With the match already decided, Summer Hanks and Diana Enriquez provided the Spirit their fourth point with a 21-17, 21-15 win at the ones over Galloway and Wilmes.
What Was Said?: "This year is going to be a brawl for dominance in the GSAC," said Head Coach Kris Dorn. The level of play is very high and will climb as we go deeper into the season. As for us, we built on the concepts we implemented all week. Our ladies are flirting with failure well, which will pay off over time."
What's Next?: The Lions return to their home beach at the Brookhurst and PCH Courts on Friday, February 23, continuing GSAC competition against visiting Hope International and The Master's. The Lions play the Royals at 10:00 a.m. and the Mustangs at noon.
