TEMPE, Ariz.—The Arizona State beach volleyball team heads to Hawaii on Friday and Saturday for the Outrigger Beach Volleyball Challenge in Honolulu, hosted by the University of Hawaii.
The Sand Devils compete in a pairs tournament on Friday at the Ching Complex, starting at 8 a.m. HT/11 a.m. PT. On Saturday at Queen’s Beach, ASU takes on No. 4 Hawaii at 9 a.m. HT/Noon HT, followed by a dual against Pac-12 foe No. 5 UCLA at 11 a.m. HT/2 p.m. PT.
ABOUT HAWAII
The No. 4-ranked Wahine are 9-5 on the year, with wins in their last seven straight. Hawaii went 4-0 at the Stetson Beach Invitational last week in Deland, Fla. Hawaii went 4-1 against Stetson and 5-0 against Florida Atlantic before defeating Florida State, 4-1 and Florida International, also 4-1.
ABOUT UCLA
The No. 5-ranked Bruins are 9-4 on the year and went 3-1 at last week’s Stetson Beach Invitational in Deland, Fla. UCLA posted wins over Florida International (5-0), Florida Atlantic (5-0), and host Stetson (3-2), and fell to Florida State, 4-1.
Prior to the tournament in Hawaii, the Bruins host No. 1 Pepperdine on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
The Sand Devils travel to Stanford, Calif., next week for four dual matches on April 9 and 10. On Saturday, ASU takes on Oregon at Noon PT, followed by a contest against the host Cardinal at 3 p.m. PT. On Sunday, ASU takes on Boise State and California at 8:30 a.m. PT and 2:30 p.m. PT, respectively.
LAST TIME OUT
ASU went 2-0 last week in Tucson, picking up wins over CSU Bakersfield and Cal State Northridge at the Wildcat Spring Challenge. The Sand Devils defeated the Roadrunners, 4-1, before sweeping Matadors, 5-0.
FOLLETTE NEARING 30 WINS
A junior on the beach, Whitney Follette has 28 wins in her two-and-change seasons with the Sand Devils, the most in the history of the young program. This upcoming weekend of action will likely make her the first to reach the 30-win milestone in the history of the program.
Her 2016 pairs teammate, junior Bianca Arellano sits at No. 2 all-time with 26 career victories. The duo has paired for a team-high eight wins so far this season.
THE 2016 HOME SLATE
The Sand Devils host three more matches at home at the PERA Club this season. On Saturday, April 16, ASU hosts a doubleheader against San Diego State and Grossmont College at 8:30 a.m. PT and 1 p.m. PT, respectively.
Senior Night and the home finale is slated for Wednesday, April 20, against Pac-12 rival Arizona at 5 p.m. PT.
THE 2016 PAC-12 BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The inaugural Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships is slated for April 28 to May 1 in Los Angeles, Calif., hosted by USC at the Merle Norman Stadium. The matches are slated to air on the Pac-12 Networks.
Beach volleyball is the Pac-12 Conference’s 23rd sponsored sport.
ABOUT BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Beach 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 PERA CLUB
PERA, which stands for Project Employees Recreation Association is a private club for the employees and families of the Salt River Project, located at 1 E. Continental Drive.
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.