LONG BEACH, Calif. – Utah Beach Volleyball fell to CSUN and #16 Stetson on Friday to begin the weekend in Long Beach.
Lauren Sayre and
Azure McOmber made their season debuts with four of Utah's five pairings remaining the same as they had all season.
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Utah 0, CSUN 5
Utah opened the weekend of matches against CSUN where it won two of the five first sets on Friday. Utah's top duo of
Amaya Messier and
Katie McAlister picked up a 21-18 victory in the first set after holding onto their early lead, while Utah's fifth pair of
Savannah Cottam and
Sonja Wessel took a 21-19 win despite trailing 15-13 earlier in the frame.
CSUN got the first point of the dual after their No. 2 duo earned a 21-15, 21-14 win over
Grace Andrews and
Marissa Koch. The lead was extended to 2-0 after court four earned a straight-set win over
Kylie Pitzak and
Lauren Sayre, who paired together for the first time this season as Sayre made her season debut.
The Matadors managed to clinch the match with a win on court three.
Bella Vezzani and
Abby Karich held a lead in the first set, but ultimately dropped the frame 21-17, and fell behind late in the second set to eventually drop their match 21-18 in the final set. With two courts remaining, both court one and court five were headed to third sets after the Utes couldn't close out the second set for wins.
Messier and McAlister trailed 8-2 early in their third set and could not complete a comeback before CSUN's top duo ran away with the win 15-9. On court five, Wessel and Cottam found themselves in a similar scenario as the duo trailed early and could not make a late rally, falling 15-7 to close out the match.
Utah 0, #16 Stetson
Utah faced its fourth top-20 team of the season when it played #16 Stetson. The Utes picked up a first set win on court three from Vezzani and Karich after the duo collected a narrow 23-21 victory. Stetson managed to earn wins on the other four courts in the first set and went on to pick up its first point of the dual on court two.
Stetson continued its momentum to take straight set wins on court five and court one as well, clinching the victory.
Azure McOmber made her season debut for the Utes with Pitzak on court five. Wessel and Cottam competed on court four together for the first time this year and fell in a competitive contest 21-17, 21-19. Rounding out the match, Vezzani and Karich battled in three sets, but could not get it done in the final set.
Utah will play Texas at 11:30 a.m. MT and #13 Long Beach State at 1:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, March 18, to close out the weekend of play.
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CSUN 5, Utah 0
1. Lauren Eknoian/Tasha Mae (CSUN) def.
Amaya Messier/
Katie McAlister (UTAH) 18-21, 21-13, 15-9
2. Emily Sparks/Mikaela Maughan (CSUN) def.
Grace Andrews/
Marissa Koch (UTAH) 21-15, 21-14
3. Victoria Rogers/Mac McCarthy (CSUN) def.
Abby Karich/
Bella Vezzani (UTAH) 21-17, 21-18
4. Abbey Sweeting/Gaby Griego (CSUN) def.
Kylie Pitzak/
Lauren Sayre (UTAH) 21-15, 21-12
5. Seyvion Waggoner/Abigail Alvarez (CSUN) def.
Sonja Wessel/
Savannah Cottam (UTAH) 19-21, 21-15, 15-7
Order of finish: 2,4,3,1,5
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#16 Stetson 5, Utah 0
1. Karin Zolnercikova/Shae Henson (STET) def.
Katie McAlister/
Amaya Messier (UTAH) 21-11, 21-13
2. Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike (STET) def.
Marissa Koch/
Grace Andrews (UTAH) 21-12, 21-10
3. Noelle Weintraub/Audrey Gauthier (STET) def.
Bella Vezzani/
Abby Karich (UTAH) 21-23, 21-8, 15-6
4. Gabriella Bramante/Lauren Della (STET) def.
Sonja Wessel/
Savannah Cottam (UTAH) 21-17, 21-19
5. Aleksandra Stadnik/Klea Sirois (STET) def.
Kylie Pitzak/
Azure McOmber (UTAH) 21-10, 21-10
Order of finish: Doubles (2,5,1,4,3)
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