Phoenix, Ariz. - The Lady Firestorm pieced together a 3-1 record in their first GSAC weekend of the 2024 season with match victories over Life Pacific and RV Hope International on Saturday afternoon. These latest two wins bring ACU to a 6-1 record, which is the best start in program history (5-2 in 2023 was the previous best).
All five matches went two sets with Life Pacific, as the number one pair Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall pulled off the slimmest overall victory (24-22, 21-16). Haley Brown/Riley Brown earned their first of two dominant wins in the second pair, defeating the Warrior's Audrianna Guzman/Jadyn Armstrong by 16 points in two sets (21-17, 21-9).
Against Hope International, it was tied 2-2 with the number three pair Brianna Boeckman/Eliana Cho left to finish their match. The duo won the first set before being blown out by 11 points in the second to force a deciding third set. With all eyes on them, Boeckman/Cho did not shy away from the moment and delivered a 15-12 third set to provide the Firestorm a 3-2 total victory over the Royals.
Through seven matches, three pairs boast a 6-1 record (Brown/Brown, Brown/Katzer, Shaw/Dykstra).
MATCH INFO
Score 1: RV Arizona Christian 4, Life Pacific 1
Score 2: RV Arizona Christian 3, RV Hope International 2
Location: GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium - Phoenix, AZ
Times: 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM
MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
Match 1: ACU 4, LPU 1
- Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall (ACU) def. Hannah Caddow/Iliana Galindo (LPU) (24-22, 21-16)
- Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Audrianna Guzman/Jadyn Armstrong (LPU) (21-17, 21-9)
- Mackenzie Stewart/Kate Murray (LPU) def. Brianna Boeckman/Eliana Cho (ACU) (21-16, 21-17)
- Sydney Shaw/Railey Dykstra (ACU) def. Lindsey Johnson/Melissa Polich (LPU) (21-12, 21-14)
- Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) def. Peyton Ertle/Maxine Tennant (LPU) (21-14, 21-13)
- (Exh.) Brianna Beckler/Alyssa Robles (ACU) def. Stephanie Mosley/Havanna Pennington (LPU) (21-7, 21-8)
Match 2: ACU 3, HIU 2
- Candice Palmer/Rachel Miller (HIU) def. Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall (ACU) (15-21, 21-14, 15-11)
- Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Stephanie Perez/Ariel Garcia (HIU) (21-9, 21-16)
- Brianna Boeckman/Eliana Cho (ACU) def. Rachel Street/Addie Mathias (HIU) (21-16, 10-21, 15-12)
- Sydney Shaw/Railey Dykstra (ACU) def. Cassidy Koffroth/Mara Sanchez (HIU) (21-12, 21-15)
- Phoebe Sebby/Savannah Salter (HIU) def. Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) (21-17, 11-21, 15-13)
- (Exh.) Kapri Espinosa/Emma-Leigh Harwick (ACU) def. Emma Pearson/Kathryn Schwab (TMU) (21-18, 21-17)
THOUGHTS FROM COACH VANESSA BURWICK
"I am so proud of our girls today," Coach Burwick said. "They competed at a very high level and the Lord provided two more conference wins. If this is where we've started our season, I can't wait to see where it goes."
NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM
Arizona Christian faces their fifth different GSAC opponent in as many days, as they square off with #5 OUAZ (7-0, 4-0 GSAC) on Wednesday, February 21st. The match gets underway from Scottsdale Ranch Park at 10:00 AM. 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!
