GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Vanguard beach volleyball team opened up the 2025 season with a split at Victory Lane Sports Complex on Friday.

The Lions earned their first win as an NCAA Division 2 program, defeating Wayland Baptist 4-1 in their season debut. Longtime Golden State Athletic Conference rival Arizona Christian notched a 3-2 win over the Lions in the following match.

Two Lion pairs went 2-0 on the day as new No. 1 partners Emma Galloway and Thea Snider won in straight sets over both opponents. The No. 4 pairing of Cassie Smits Van Oyen and Gianna Pecile also claimed both matches.

Vanguard 4, Wayland Baptist 1

The Lions clinched the victory with three straight wins at the No. 4, No. 2 and No. 1 positions.

Smits Van Oyen and Pecile downed Averi Penner and Luiza Valentim by scores of 21-15, 21-17 for the first point. Paige Cutwright and Madison Arnold followed at the twos, outlasting Selma Sutaj and Emily Buchberger by scores of 21-23, 21-13, 15-12.

In the No. 1 spot, Galloway and Snider won by identical scores of 21-13, 21-13 over Wayland Baptist's Carlee Heidebrecht and Martyna Lewinska.

The Pioneers picked up a point at the threes as Jordan Schlageler and Deniz Yileri took a three-set triumph against Katie Alexander and Anne Mayfield, winning 21-18, 9-21, 15-6.

The Lions closed out the festivities with three-set win at the fives, where Logan Daniels and Natalie Hill overcame Lilou Henry-Souquet and Frida Espeseth. Set scores went 23-21, 20-22, 15-9 in favor of the Lions.
 

Arizona Christian 3, Vanguard 2

The last time these two teams met, the Lions dispatched the Firestorm in the NAIA National Tournament.

Arizona Christian got a measure of revenge as the clinching victory came at the threes.

Vanguard took a 1-0 lead with Smits Van Oyen and Pecile capturing a 21-13, 15-21, 15-10 win over Emily Katzer and Jaiden Zeis.

But the Firestorm rattled off three straight victories to pull off the team win. Haley Brown and Riley Brown tied the match at 1-1 with their triumph at the two, dispatching Cutwright and Arnold by scores of 21-16, 20-22, 15-13.

ACU pulled in front 2-1 as the fives pair of Alyssa Robles and Kapri Espinoza took home a three-set win over Daniels and Hill. The scores went 18-21, 21-11, 15-7.

Eliana Cho and Abby Nelson clinched the win at the threes with a 21-12, 21-14 victory over Alexander and Mayfield.

With the match in hand, the Firestorm No. 1 pair of Brianna Boeckman and Emee Fellens were defeated by Snider and Galloway in a 21-16, 21-17 decision.

What Was Said?: "We love this game," said Head Coach Kris Dorn. "It's always fulfilling to play challenging opponents right out of the gate. We came away with a victory but also tons of feedback from both failure and success. This is a team that will continue to increase their "volleyball IQ" as the season rolls along. We treat every match like the championship and we're excited with what we say today."

What's Next?: The Lions conclude their trip to Arizona on Saturday with a 9:00 a.m. clash against Benedictine Mesa.