GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Vanguard could not have written a more perfect script for its final match as a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference and the NAIA.
The Lions vanquished GSAC rivals Arizona Christian and OUAZ by the closest of margins – claiming identical 3-2 victories – to conclude the 2024 NAIA Beach Volleyball Invitational as the national champion.
VU raised the Red Banner for the second straight year, doing so in improbable fashion.
On March 29, the Lions sat at 6-15 after a loss to CSU Bakersfield, extending a program-worst losing streak to seven straight matches. As the host school, the Lions did not know whether they had qualified for the GSAC Tournament after finishing 5-5 in conference play.
For a program that entered the 2024 season winners of 34 straight regular season matches against GSAC opponents, this was uncharted territory. Fortunately, the Lions qualified for the four-team conference tournament as the No. 4 seed.
VU spent two weeks continuing to grind and work, and turned its fortunes around in an extraordinary way. The Blue and Gold won three straight matches to capture a fourth straight GSAC Tournament title, and finished out the season as victors in eight of the final nine contests.
A huge reason for the turnaround was the play of Gianna Pecile and Paige Cutwright at the threes. The duo went a perfect 5-0 at the NAIA Championship. They won the clinching match against the Firestorm in the semifinals, and tied the OUAZ contest at 2-2 after the Lions had fallen into a 2-0 hole against the Spirit.
And it was apropos that the No. 5 VU pair clinched the title after playing six exhausting matches across a three-day period.
Kortney Hitt and Tennessee native Ana Broadhead caused jubilation galore as their 15-9 win in the third set over OUAZ led to the happiest sandy dogpile. Broadhead, the Nashville native who grew up three and a half hours from the Greeneville Beach Volleyball Complex, knew that the Lions had an uncommon belief to get the job done.
"It is still so surreal to be in Tennessee. This is where I'm from. Such a cool opportunity," said Broadhead. "That third set, we knew that we could win it. We just looked at each other and knew we had so many people behind it. It just started with belief."
"It's an amazing way to finish," said Hitt. "Honestly such a blessing. All 14 of us made an impact. Today, we felt the girls with us and I'm so excited!"
The Lions finished the season 14-16 after playing a gauntlet of a schedule that featured six NCAA Division I opponents.
What Happened?
(B2) Vanguard 3, (A1) Arizona Christian 2
Six of VU's final eight wins came by 3-2 scores. It cannot be understated how vital Cutwright and Pecile were to the Blue and Gold's late season surge.
The No. 3 VU duo overcame an 8-2 deficit in the third set to Railey Dykstra and Eliana Cho, fighting back to take the 21-18, 18-21, 16-14 victory in the deciding match in the semifinals.
The Lions had great momentum after going up 2-0 in the match. Bailey Coffin and Logan Daniels knocked off Sydney Shaw and Brianna Boeckman in three sets, prevailing 21-19, 18-21, 15-13 at the fours.
No. 2 pair Madi Nash and Madison Arnold overcame a first set loss to pull off the reverse sweep at the twos. The Lion tandem claimed a 17-21, 21-13, 15-11 win over Haley Brown and Riley Brown.
But the Firestorm climbed back and tied the match at 2-2. Misty McCall and Mia Scheepens won at the ones, earning a 21-17, 21-19 triumph over Emma Galloway and Hannah Wilmes. Amaya Brown and Emily Katzer then took a tight 24-22, 21-18 battle over Hitt and Broadhead at the fives.
That set up the showdown at threes, where Cutwright and Pecile overcame their loss to Dykstra and Cho at the GSAC Tournament.
(B2) Vanguard 3, (B1) OUAZ 2
The Lions met the Spirit for the fifth time this season with each team having recorded two victories. OUAZ handed VU its only loss in Pool B play, appropriately enough by a 3-2 score.
VU flipped the script at the ones. The results between the pool play battle and the national championship match were identical at all positions with the exception of the ones.
Galloway and Wilmes started the VU comeback and the eventual reverse sweep after the Lions found themselves in a 2-0 deficit. The GSAC Pair of the Year swept Summer Hanks and Diana Enriquez by a 21-14, 21-19 score.
It was much needed as the Spirit won at the fours and twos to take the 2-0 lead. Shea Marovich and Dayana Raygoza downed Coffin and Daniels after losing a marathon first set, posting a 26-28, 21-10, 15-8 victory. Mattea Wilson and Olivia Andersh also went to three sets against Nash and Arnold, battling to a 21-16, 18-21, 15-13 triumph.
After cutting the deficit in half at the ones, Cutwright and Pecile controlled the second set against Amanda Carlson and Grace Hughes after a nip-and-tuck first set battle. The VU threes toppled their OUAZ foes, 22-20, 21-13.
Hitt and Broadhead clashed with Cheyenne Higgins and Gabriela Corrales at the fives with the Red Banner on the line. After going extra points for the 23-21 first set victory, Hitt and Broadhead dropped the second set at 21-18. But a dominating 15-9 set three win led to celebration as VU Athletics claimed back-to-back national titles.
What Was Said?
Head Coach Kris Dorn
(On the win over ACU): "I don't think I've ever been in that situation where all common sense would say that we were done. Yes, the ladies believed. Amazing heart and grit."
(On the win against OUAZ for the national title): "This is nearly unbelievable. God's story is always so sweet and this one is crazy. The odds of repeating after two-thirds of our team being new…plus barely getting into our own GSAC Tourney. There is no measure of the way these ladies locked in. The focus, the intentionality in their practices and especially with how they pour into one another. Crazy. It has not sunk in. We are so blessed by a family that fights together."
What's Next?: Celebrate. A lot. The team plans to return with the trophy and Red Banner on Sunday. Fans are invited to greet the team in front of Catalina around noon.
