Mesa, Ariz. - The Lady Firestorm won their first three matches and only dropped a single head-to-head battle at Arizona Athletic Grounds in Coach Vanessa Burwick's debut. Early-year pairings were clicking, as three new Firestorm (Mia Scheepens, Eliana Cho, Emily Katzer) and seasoned veterans, such as Sydney Shaw and Railey Dykstra, showed seamless chemistry in their play.
Across the three matches, ACU went 5-0 in sets that required settling a deuce. Scheepens and Misty McCall converted two of these pivotal sets, defeating the number one Bushnell pair (Halle Neumann/Kate Palelek) 23-21 and 24-22.
Amaya Brown and Katzer earned the most dominant victory of the day, downing Park Gilbert's number five pair (Danielle Miranda-Johnson/Eliza Pearson) by a combined 26 points between two sets (21-10, 21-6).
MATCH INFO
Score 1: Arizona Christian 5, Bushnell University 0
Score 2: Arizona Christian 4, Northwest (WA) 1
Score 3: Arizona Christian 5, Park Gilbert 0
Location: Arizona Athletic Grounds - Mesa, AZ
Times: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM
MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
Match 1: ACU 5, BU 0
- Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall (ACU) def. Halle Neumann/Kate Palelek (BU) (23-21, 24-22)
- Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Brooke Silver/Jayde Hayes (BU) (21-15, 21-15)
- Sydney Shaw/Railey Dykstra (ACU) def. Courtney Isom/Anessa Stotts (BU) (21-17, 21-11)
- Eliana Cho/Brianna Boeckman (ACU) def. Sydney Myrne/Roslyn Mclellan (BU) (21-8, 21-13)
- Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) def. Avery Lenssen/Mai Tomlin (BU) (21-14, 21-14
Match 2: ACU 4, NU (WA) 1
- Caitlyn James/Carlee Rowell (NU) def. Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall (ACU) (21-13, 21-15)
- Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Masa Jarc/Madelynn Culp (NU) (21-14, 21-17)
- Sydney Shaw/Railey Dykstra (ACU) def. Sophia Rick/Kali Dransfieldt (NU) (22-20, 22-20)
- Eliana Cho/Brianna Boeckman (ACU) def. Kylie Rankins/Sydney Faber (NU) (21-9, 21-13)
- Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) def. Charlize Katz/Brynn Keeling (NU) (21-17, 21-14)
Match 3: ACU 5, PUG 0
- Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall (ACU) def. Railey Druxman/Daisy Motes (PUG) (21-8, 21-13)
- Haley Brown/Riley Brown (ACU) def. Grace Baker/Nicole Gary (PUG) (22-20, 21-14)
- Sydney Shaw/Railey Dykstra (ACU) def. Taylor Winkle/Jessica Smith (PUG) (21-10, 21-15)
- Eliana Cho/Brianna Boeckman (ACU) def. Avery Turk/Porsche Bauer (PUG) (21-19, 21-9)
- Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer (ACU) def. Danielle Miranda-Johnson/Eliza Pearson (PUG) (21-10, 21-6)
THOUGHTS FROM COACH VANESSA BURWICK
"Today it was so fun to watch the girls finally get to compete," Coach Burwick said. "Everyone showed up, whether they were playing on the court or cheering on the sidelines. 3-0 isn't a bad way to start, all Glory the God!"
NEXT FOR THE FIRESTORM
The Sandy Birds get back on the court next Friday, as they take on GSAC foes #1 Vanguard and #8 The Master's at Scottsdale Ranch Park. Action gets underway at 10:00 AM with the Vanguard Lions first up for the Firestorm. Stay up to date with ACU Beach Volleyball by following @acufirestorm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Roll Storm!
