Saturday, March 6
Tucson, Ariz.
10:00 a.m. MT
Boise State
0
vs
5
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Broncos Upset No. 20 Sun Devils in Day One of Cactus Classic
3/6/2021 7:17:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
Boise State's beach volleyball team upset the 20th ranked Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday in the first day of the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
TUCSON, Ariz. – In their second match of the first day of the season Boise State's beach volleyball team took down No. 20 Arizona State 3-2 to put a cap on the first day of action as the Broncos earned a split at the Cactus Classic in the Grand Canyon State.
"I was really happy with the way we competed on the first day, said head coach Allison Voigt. "I thought we had a couple of pairs play hard in the first match with our No. 2 and 3 pairs going to three sets. I was really proud with the way we regrouped to play Arizona State, that is a really big win for us against a very good program. I thought everyone played and competed hard even the couple pairs we lost, they competed well. I was happy for Rori (Chartier) and Kaylee (Mejia) winning at the threes to get their first win, and Sierra Land and Katie Martin's win at the fours. I thought Kaylee (Johnson) and Ellie (McDonald) really came through at the No. 5 position to win it in three sets and clinch the win for us. I couldn't be happier, overall it was a good day."
RECAP: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi def. Boise State 5-0
The first match of the day saw the Blue and Orange fall to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5-0. Despite good efforts from Bronco pairs on courts two and three the Islanders were able to win all five courts and take down Boise State in a sweep.
Boise State was led against the Islanders by Sedona Hansen and Joey Benson who opened strong on court two winning set one 21-14, then fell down the stretch as their opponents Mary Dodge and Micaela Mirabal rallied to win a hard-fought battle in three 14-21, 21-18, 17-15. The No. 3 pair of Rori Chartier and Kaylee Mejia also went to three sets before falling 20-22, 27-25, 15-10.
RECAP: Boise State Upsets No. 20 Arizona State 3-2
The team then shifted its focus to what was sure to be a tough match against 20th-ranked Arizona State as the Broncos looked to rebound from the loss earlier in the day. Court two was the first to finish as Joey Benson and Sedona Hansen fell in a close two sets 22-20, 21-19, giving the Sun Devils a 1-0 advantage early. Sierra Land and Katie Martin were able to level the score, winning on court four 21-9, 23-21 to get the Broncos their first win of the season.
Rori Chartier and Kaylee Mejia found their groove in their match on court three, finishing it in two sets 21-19, 21-11 to put the Broncos in a position to clinch the match. Arizona State would not go down lightly, however, as they took court one to even things again and left the match to be decided by the No. 5 pairs.
At the No. 5 position Kylee Johnson and Ellie McDonald struggled out of the gate, losing their first set by a rather convincing 21-8 score. They then battled back and won a gritty second set that finished 28-26 to force it to a decisive third set. McDonald and Johnson were able to hold off a Sun Devil comeback as they clinched the match by winning the set 16-14 to end an exciting first day of action.
The Broncos will wrap up the Cactus Classic tomorrow with two matches. Boise State will try for another Top-20 upset in the first match of the day as they face off against No. 15 Arizona, followed by the final match of the competition when they take on Stephen F. Austin.
Keep up with tomorrow's matches by following the team on Twitter or checking the schedule for a link to live scoring.
"I was really happy with the way we competed on the first day, said head coach Allison Voigt. "I thought we had a couple of pairs play hard in the first match with our No. 2 and 3 pairs going to three sets. I was really proud with the way we regrouped to play Arizona State, that is a really big win for us against a very good program. I thought everyone played and competed hard even the couple pairs we lost, they competed well. I was happy for Rori (Chartier) and Kaylee (Mejia) winning at the threes to get their first win, and Sierra Land and Katie Martin's win at the fours. I thought Kaylee (Johnson) and Ellie (McDonald) really came through at the No. 5 position to win it in three sets and clinch the win for us. I couldn't be happier, overall it was a good day."
RECAP: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi def. Boise State 5-0
The first match of the day saw the Blue and Orange fall to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5-0. Despite good efforts from Bronco pairs on courts two and three the Islanders were able to win all five courts and take down Boise State in a sweep.
Boise State was led against the Islanders by Sedona Hansen and Joey Benson who opened strong on court two winning set one 21-14, then fell down the stretch as their opponents Mary Dodge and Micaela Mirabal rallied to win a hard-fought battle in three 14-21, 21-18, 17-15. The No. 3 pair of Rori Chartier and Kaylee Mejia also went to three sets before falling 20-22, 27-25, 15-10.
RECAP: Boise State Upsets No. 20 Arizona State 3-2
The team then shifted its focus to what was sure to be a tough match against 20th-ranked Arizona State as the Broncos looked to rebound from the loss earlier in the day. Court two was the first to finish as Joey Benson and Sedona Hansen fell in a close two sets 22-20, 21-19, giving the Sun Devils a 1-0 advantage early. Sierra Land and Katie Martin were able to level the score, winning on court four 21-9, 23-21 to get the Broncos their first win of the season.
Rori Chartier and Kaylee Mejia found their groove in their match on court three, finishing it in two sets 21-19, 21-11 to put the Broncos in a position to clinch the match. Arizona State would not go down lightly, however, as they took court one to even things again and left the match to be decided by the No. 5 pairs.
At the No. 5 position Kylee Johnson and Ellie McDonald struggled out of the gate, losing their first set by a rather convincing 21-8 score. They then battled back and won a gritty second set that finished 28-26 to force it to a decisive third set. McDonald and Johnson were able to hold off a Sun Devil comeback as they clinched the match by winning the set 16-14 to end an exciting first day of action.
The Broncos will wrap up the Cactus Classic tomorrow with two matches. Boise State will try for another Top-20 upset in the first match of the day as they face off against No. 15 Arizona, followed by the final match of the competition when they take on Stephen F. Austin.
Keep up with tomorrow's matches by following the team on Twitter or checking the schedule for a link to live scoring.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
Boise State Beach Volleyball to Join Big 12
Wednesday, September 24
Allison Voigt Steps Down as Boise State Beach Volleyball Head Coach
Thursday, July 17
WBB | Highlights vs Nevada
Monday, March 10
Blue & Orange Scrimmage
Monday, March 28
