TEMPE, Ariz.—Arizona State sand volleyball (1-2) is back in action this week, traveling to Columbia, S.C., Friday to Sunday, for the Gamecock Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina at the Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex.
The Sun Devils will open the weekend with two matches on Friday, first taking on Florida State at 10:15 a.m. PT/1:15 a.m. ET, and then ASU will face off against the host Gamecocks at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET.
On Saturday, ASU will first take on Georgia State at 6:45 a.m. PT/9:45 a.m. ET, and then match up with Carson-Newman at Noon PT/3 p.m. ET.
Sunday, The Sun Devils will wrap up the tournament with a match against Tulane, which is slated to start at 5 a.m. PT/8 a.m. ET.
Results will be posted following each match to the Gamecock Invitational Central page, located on gamecocksonline.com.
THE GAMECOCK INVITATIONAL PAIRINGS/LAST TIME OUT
1. Bethany Jorgensen & Jordy Checkal (1-2)
Playing in the No. 1 position last week, the senior duo of Jorgensen and Checkal dropped their first two matches at the Arizona Invitational on March 6, and then rebounded with a 21-8, 21-12 victory over Shane Peters and Natalie Gower of TCU on March 7.
2. Bianca Arellano & Macey Gardner
Arellano and Gardner were in the No. 2 position at the Arizona Invite, defeating Tulane’s Tea Juric and Jackie Wenger, 13-21, 21-16, 15-5, before falling to LSU’s Helen Boyle and Lilly Kessler in three close sets, 21-19, 27-29, 15-13. In the finale with TCU, the duo swept Macy Capen and Ashley Smith, 21-5, 21-6.
Following the three matches, Arellano was named to the Arizona Invite All-Tournament Team.
3. Kizzy Willey & Sydney Palmer
Playing in the No. 4 position at the Arizona Invite, Willey and Palmer were the only Sun Devil pairing to finish 3-0, starting off with a three set victory over Tulane’s Annie Shurtz and Courtney Liddle, 21-11, 15-21, 15-8. In their second match, the pair defeated LSU’s Laura Whalen and Emily Ehrle, 21-12, 21-18, and then followed with a three-set victory over TCU’s Blaire Pickens and Sarah Grantham, 19-21, 21-7, 15-5.
Following the three matches, Willey and Palmer were named to the Arizona Invite All-Tournament Team.
4. Whitney Follette & Halle Harker
After dropping their first two matches while playing in the No. 3 position, both in three sets, Follette and Harker rebounded to a 21-11, 21-18 win over TCU’s Alexa Heist and Sutton Sunstrum in the final match at the Arizona Invite.
5. Andi Lowrance & Frances Giedraitis
Lowrance and Giedraitis played at the No. 5 position to open the season, dropping a pair of matches to their counterparts at Tulane and LSU. In the Arizona Invite finale against TCU, the duo picked up a 21-9, 21-14 victory over Chayanne Perkins and Chyna Perkins.
ABOUT THE SEMINOLES (Friday, 10:15 a.m.PT/1:15 p.m. ET)
Florida State is 5-3 on the year, and most recently split its last two matches, defeating Loyola Marymount, 3-2, before falling to USC, 4-1. The duo of Victoria Paranagua and Kristina Pellitteri lead the Seminoles with an 8-3 record, while Julie Brown and Melanie Pavels are 6-2 on the year, and the pairs of Vanessa Freire and Annie Montgomery and Jace Parton and Sarah Wickstrom are both 5-3 overall.
ABOUT THE GAMECOCKS (Friday, 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET)
South Carolina is 7-2 on the year and 2-0 in matches at the Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex. Paige Wheeler and Megan Kent are 10-3 on the year, while the dup of Jade Hayes and Macie Tendrich are 9-3.
The Gamecocks are on a three-match win streak after defeating College of Charleston, 4-1, sweeping Florida Atlantic, and edging Jacksonville, 3-2, as part of the UNF Sand Invitational.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (Saturday, 6:45 a.m. PT/9:45 a.m. ET)
Georgia State is 8-1 on the year and has won three straight matches, edging LSU, 3-2 before sweeping both FAU and North Florida as part of the UNF Sand Invitational. The duos of Delaney Rohan and Natalie Wilson and Jessica Fourspring and Nina Interwies are both 11-1 on the year.
ABOUT THE EAGLES (Saturday, Noon PT/3 p.m. ET
Carson-Newman will open its first-ever season this weekend, taking on Tulane and South Carolina on Friday, and UAB on Saturday before the matchup against the Sun Devils.
ABOUT THE GREEN WAVE (Sunday, 5 a.m. PT/8 a.m. ET)
Tulane is 6-3 on the year, winning its last three matches by way of the 5-0 sweep. The Green Wave defeated Mercer, Spring Hill, and New Orleans as part of its own Tulane Pelican Classic.
The Sun Devils and Green Wave met on March 6, with the Sun Devils falling, 3-2. At No. 4, Kizzy Willey and Sydney Palmer defeated Annie Shurts and Courtney Liddle, 21-11, 15-21, 15-8, while Bianca Arellano and Macey Gardner defeated Tea Juric and Jackie Wenger, 31-21, 21-16, 15-5 at No. 2.
2015 All-Tournament Team Selections
Arizona Invitational (March 6-7): Kizzy Willey, Sydney Palmer, Bianca Arellano
ABOUT SAND VOLLEYBALL
Sand volleyball is contested with five pairings in the best of three sets, which are played to 21 points. The tiebreaker third set is played to 15.
The team win goes to the squad that secures three of the five wins throughout the match.
THE SAND-ONLY SUN DEVILS
In 2014, the lone sand-only Sun Devil was Jordy Checkal. This season, the group of one has expanded to a group of six with the addition of Bethany Jorgensen, Blair Robalin, Frances Giedraitis, Sydney Palmer, and Mia Rivera.
“This season we have depth,” Watson said. “Our sand roster has expanded to include athletes just playing sand volleyball, and this depth has added to the competitiveness of our practices. I like the work we are doing, and I like the effort of our staff in working to create a better practice environment for our athletes. Most of all, I like the attitude and commitment of our athletes. As an emerging sport at Arizona State, everyone is committed to its success.”
Currently in grad school at ASU, Jorgensen is utilizing her final year of eligibility after competing for four years with the Sun Devils’ indoor team. Robalin, Giedraitis, and Palmer join the ASU sand volleyball program as true freshmen, while Rivera is a sophomore.
THE 2015 SCHEDULE
The Sun Devils will open the home slate with four matches at the PERA Club in one week, starting with a match against Nebraska on Wednesday, March 25 at 6 p.m. ASU will then take on Boise State on Thursday, March 26, also at 6 p.m., and then face off against USC and New Mexico in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
On April 10-11, ASU will host its first-ever tournament, the ASU Sand Volleyball Challenge, hosted by the Red Lion Inn & Suites. The Sun Devils will first take on Pac-12 rival Arizona on April 10 at 6 p.m., and then see New Mexico again on April 11 at Noon. The Sun Devils will wrap the weekend against CSU Bakersfield at 5 p.m.
The Sun Devils will close out the 2015 regular season in Tucson, facing off against the rival Wildcats on Wednesday, April 22 at 4:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
THE 2015 HOME SLATE – AT THE PERA CLUB
Wed., March 25 – Nebraska – 6 p.m.
Thurs., March 26 – Boise State – 6 p.m.
Sat., March 28 – USC – 3 p.m.
Sat., March 28 – New Mexico – 5 p.m.
Fri., April 10 – Arizona – 6 p.m.
Sat., April 11 – New Mexico – Noon
Sat., April 11 – CSU Bakersfield – 5 p.m.
THE 90TH NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The NCAA recently announced that sand volleyball would become the 90th NCAA Championship starting in the spring of 2016.
The championship will have an eight-team bracket that will be played in a double-elimination format. Teams will consist of five pairs of players. The first team to win three of the five matches is the winner, which is similar to how team champions are decided in men’s and women’s tennis. However, unlike tennis, in which national individual champions are crowned in singles and doubles, the NCAA does not plan to name individual or pair champions in sand volleyball.
Sand volleyball is the fastest-growing NCAA sport with 50 schools sponsoring it as of January 2015. NCAA rules require 40 sponsoring institutions to request an NCAA championship.
THE PERA CLUB
The PERA Club, ASU’s home for its second season, is located three and a half miles north of the Tempe Campus on 1 East Continental Dr.
PERA, which stands for Project Employees Recreation Association is a private club for the employees and families of the Salt River Project.
The 83-acre club houses a social center, employee store, fitness center, swimming pool, game courts, and fields and offers children's programs, fitness classes, business meetings, sports leagues, and parties.
THE COACHING STAFF
Head coach Jason Watson remains at the helm of the sand volleyball program, now in its second year, assisted by Jackie Bunker. Joining them this year is volunteer assistant coach Deb Rose.
A professional sand volleyball player with more than 15 years of experience, Rose earned a spot on the 1996 Olympic beach volleyball team, the first year that beach volleyball was played at the games. In Atlanta, Rose and her partner finished ninth in the world.
2014 SAND VOLLEYBALL RECAP
ASU went 6-5 in its first-ever sand volleyball season, posting wins over Arizona Christian, Tulane, Arizona, and Boise State. The Sun Devils were also responsible for securing a Territorial Cup Series point as they defeated the Wildcats in two of three head-to-head matches.
Playing in the No. 5 position, Andi Lowrance and Nora Tuioti-Mariner earned the best pairs record, finishing the season at 9-4. Macey Gardner and Whitney Follette, who went 8-5 in the No. 2 position, followed the duo.
At No. 1, Bianca Arellano and Bethany Jorgensen went 6-7, while Jordy Checkal and Kizzy Willey went 5-8 at No. 3, and Bree Bailey and Genevieve Pirotte went 4-9 at the No. 4 position.
Additionally, the Sun Devils swept three of its opponents in 2014, going 5-0 against Arizona Christian twice, and ending the season with a sweep of Boise State in the inaugural season’s finale.
2014 INDOOR RECAP
In 2014, the ASU volleyball program (20-14, 9-11 Pac-12) earned its third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, and advanced to the second round of competition for the first time since 2006. Junior outside hitter Macey Gardner became ASU’s first AVCA All-American since 2000, and also became the first Sun Devil to earn three Pac-12 All-Conference honors since Christine Garner (1993, 1994, and 1995).