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Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Brown sisters celebrate point against OUAZ

Beach Volleyball Payne Moses

Final Postseason Prep At GCU

Glendale, Ariz. - Arizona Christian Beach Volleyball proved themselves ready for the postseason by earning a signature win over #1 OUAZ this past Saturday. The Lady Firestorm have one final regular-season match tomorrow afternoon against Grand Canyon University. It will be ACU's second meeting with the Lopes this season and seventh match against NCAA Division I competition. 

ACU remained third the nation in the latest NAIA Coaches' Top-10 poll which was released on Wednesday. Number five pair Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer ended GSAC play with an 8-2 record (T-4th in GSAC) whereas the twin duo of Haley Brown/Riley Brown posted a 7-3 record. 

The 2024 GSAC Beach Volleyball Tournament bracket and schedule has also been determined, four teams vying for a conference title: 1-seed OUAZ, 2-seed Arizona Christian, 3-seed The Master's and 4-seed Vanguard. ACU will get 3-seed The Master's on April 12th at 10:00 AM, with a second match (either in the loser's or winner's bracket) set for 1:00 PM in the double-elimination tournament. 

Game Details

#3 Arizona Christian at Grand Canyon University - Saturday, April 6 at 4:00 PM

GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium - Phoenix, AZ

*All Time Listed Are Arizona Time

Arizona Christian

The Arizona Christian Sandy Birds mastered blustery conditions and handed the #1 OUAZ Spirit their first GSAC loss of the season with a 3-2 victory on a special Senior Day. With the win, ACU snapped a 15-match losing streak in their all-time series with OUAZ and finished 2024 a perfect 4-0 at Victory Lane Sports Complex.

The match tied 2-2, number one pair Mia Scheepens/Misty McCall carried the team's hope of an upset. Following a two-set split, Scheepens/McCall won the first three points of the third and controlled it the rest of the way en-route to a 15-8 tally and match victory. Every member of the Firestorm was there to witness the feat along with a huge crowd, both hanging on every point.

Haley Brown/Riley Brown won perhaps the most important point of the night in the two pairing. After dropping the first set, the twins stormed back to win the second (21-18) and successfully came back by taking a drama-filled third set (19-17). Instead of putting themselves in a 2-0 hole, Brown/Brown resurrected the Firestorm's chances with a 1-1 tie.

The rock-solid duo of Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer secured their 15th victory as a partnership with a dominant 21-11 second set. Their effort, as it so often has this season, cleared the stage for a match-clinching point.

About 15 minutes before the first wave of matches got underway, the following seniors were recognized for their commitment to the Beach Volleyball program: Daniela Bejarano, Misty McCall, Sydney Shaw and Amaya Brown.

ACU Key Pairs

Amaya Brown/Emily Katzer - 15-8
Haley Brown/Riley Brown - 12-11
Misty McCall/Mia Scheepens - 11-10
Eliana Cho/Railey Dykstra - 3-8
Sydney Shaw/Brianna Boeckman - 3-8

Series Notes

On February 24th, the Firestorm lost 5-0 to the DI Lopes at GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium. They enter tomorrow's match 0-2 in their all-time series, having first met in the middle portion of their inaugural 2019 season. Only the number-two pair, Haley Brown/Riley Brown, was able to force a third set against the, at the time, #14-ranked Lopes.

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon University Lopes (7-12) were tabbed the 19th-ranked team in the latest AVCA Collegiate Beach Poll (April 2nd). This past weekend, GCU lost all three matches in the Lopes Invitational (March 29-30), falling 3-2 to both #18 Stetson and #19 U of A on Friday and being downed 4-1 by #12 Arizona State in the tournament finale. The Lopes' signature match of the season came on March 23rd in the form of a 3-2 win over the #8 LSU Tigers in the Mid-Season CCSA Tournament. 

Roll Storm!
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Players Mentioned

Daniela Bejarano

#11 Daniela Bejarano

5' 4"
Senior
Brianna Boeckman

#14 Brianna Boeckman

5' 8"
Junior
Amaya Brown

#18 Amaya Brown

5' 8"
Senior
Haley Brown

#17 Haley Brown

5' 5"
Sophomore
Riley Brown

#15 Riley Brown

5' 6"
Sophomore
Railey Dykstra

#7 Railey Dykstra

5' 8"
Junior
Misty McCall

#4 Misty McCall

5' 6"
Junior
Sydney Shaw

#9 Sydney Shaw

5' 5"
Junior
Emily Katzer

#19 Emily Katzer

5' 7"
Freshman
Eliana Cho

#3 Eliana Cho

5' 6"
Junior
Mia Scheepens

#8 Mia Scheepens

6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Daniela Bejarano

#11 Daniela Bejarano

5' 4"
Senior
Brianna Boeckman

#14 Brianna Boeckman

5' 8"
Junior
Amaya Brown

#18 Amaya Brown

5' 8"
Senior
Haley Brown

#17 Haley Brown

5' 5"
Sophomore
Riley Brown

#15 Riley Brown

5' 6"
Sophomore
Railey Dykstra

#7 Railey Dykstra

5' 8"
Junior
Misty McCall

#4 Misty McCall

5' 6"
Junior
Sydney Shaw

#9 Sydney Shaw

5' 5"
Junior
Emily Katzer

#19 Emily Katzer

5' 7"
Freshman
Eliana Cho

#3 Eliana Cho

5' 6"
Junior
Mia Scheepens

#8 Mia Scheepens

6' 0"
Junior