Utah Beach Volleyball Set For Pac-12 North Invitational

Friday, April 7

Stanford, CA

9:00 AM

University of Utah

Washington

Photo by: Doug Link/Boise State Athletics

Utah Beach Volleyball Set For Pac-12 North Invitational

4/5/2023 3:34 PM | Beach Volleyball

Utes to be televised on the Pac-12 Networks for both matches on Friday.

MATCH WEEK
Utah Beach Volleyball returns to Pac-12 play this weekend, competing at the Pac-12 North Invitational in Stanford, Calif. Utah opens the weekend against #13 Washington at 9 a.m. MT this Friday, Apr. 7, before closing out the day against Arizona at 1 p.m. MT. Both matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

On Saturday, Apr. 8, the Utes are set to take on Oregon at 9 a.m. MT and #2 USC at 1 p.m. MT. Live stats will be available for the matches against Washington, Arizona, and USC.

QUICK HITS
• Utah has added a home match to the 2023 schedule, hosting Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, Apr. 12, at 1:30 p.m. MT. It is the sole home match of the season for Utah.
• Utah played 14-straight matches in the state of California in a two-week stretch during March.
• Utah has played five teams ranked in the top-20, and have at least three more opponents ranked in the top-20 scheduled to play in the regular season.
• Amaya Messier and Katie McAlister, along with Savannah Cottam and Sonja Wessel lead the team with 10 wins each as a pair. Sydney Jacinto and Kylie Pitzak have totaled nine wins.
• Messier and McAlister have won four of their last six matches, while Pitzak and Jacinto have won three straight.

AT THE TOP
Sophomore Amaya Messier and freshman Katie McAlister have held down the top spot for the Utes in all but two matches this season and have earned 10 wins on court one, which is tied for the most wins on the team. The Ute duo earned Utah's sole dual point against UC Davis after taking a competitive three-set win, while they also earned a key win over Santa Clara's top duo to guide the Utes to a 3-2 victory. The top pair for Utah picked up their first Pac-12 victory against Arizona State as well, winning 21-16, 21-17. McAlister and Messier also earned a three-set win (21-23,21-17, 15-11) over Texas' top pair to clinch the 3-2 victory for the Utes. The Ute duo is coming off a 3-1 weekend in Boise where the pair took both matches against Boise State's top pair, as well as a win over Arizona Christian.

STEADY AS SONJA & SAV
Utah's lineup has received 10 wins from the duo of sophomore Sonja Wessel and freshman Savannah Cottam between courts four and five. The pair got off to a hot start after winning four straight matches to start the season, which included Utah's only dual point against Louisiana Monroe in a three-set battle. The pair for Utah clinched the dual match against Santa Clara (3-2) with a 21-19, 21-19 victory to highlight the season. Additionally, Cottam and Wessel earned a hard-fought win over Saint Mary's fifth pairing also in three sets, winning 14-21, 21-17, 15-11. Cottam and Wessel earned a three-set win over Texas' fourth pair to help guide Utah to the 3-2 victory, while they also picked up a 21-19, 21-17 win against #13 Long Beach State's #4 duo.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah traveled to Boise, Idaho, to compete against Oregon, Arizona Christian, and Boise State where the Utes came away with a win over Arizona Christian. Utah swept ACU with every court winning in two sets. Utah dropped a pair of 3-2 contests to host Boise State and fell 4-1 to Oregon. Utah's top pair of Amaya Messier and Katie McAlister put together a 3-1 record over the weekend, while Sydney Jacinto and Kylie Pitzak did the same. Pitzak and Jacinto have increased their season win count to nine wins after last weekend, which is the second-most on the team.

UP NEXT
The Utes will play their only home match of the season next Wednesday, Apr. 12, against Salt Lake Community College. The match will begin at 1:30 p.m. MT at the Lassonde Courts on campus in Salt Lake City. After the home match, Utah will travel to Tempe, Ariz., for competition on Friday and Saturday, Apr. 14-15. Utah plays Arizona State, Arizona Christian, Park University and Grand Canyon to close out the regular season.