By Nicole Praga, SDA Media Relations Assistant
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Arizona State beach volleyball team (16-16) put up a good fight in the team portion of the 2017 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships Friday at the Arizona Beach Volleyball Courts in Tucson. The Sun Devils ultimately finished the day going 1-2, getting eliminated Friday night in the contender's bracket.
ASU started the day off strong sweeping the Stanford Cardinal, 5-0, for the second time in just a week's span. In the No. 2 spot, the duo of Madison Berridge and Oluoma Okaro battled back from a 13-21 first-set loss to win the next two, 21-16, 15-12. Katelyn Carballo and Ellyson Lundberg at the No. 3 and Cassidy Pickrell and Mia Rivera at the No. 4 survived three-set matches of their own to seal the victory for the Sun Devils. Senior Whitney Follette picked up her 60th career individual win in her match win with partner Bianca Arellano at No. 1. She remains the winningest player in program history. The victory also represented the pair's 40th combined victory, which also marks a program-best tally.
The Sun Devils struggled in their match with top-ranked USC, losing all five matches in straight sets. Arellano and Follette held their own in a close 22-20 first set loss to USC's Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes, but then dropped the match with a 21-14 defeat in the second set.
The Sun Devils lost a tough 3-2 match to Washington in a "win or go home" scenario in the final match of the day. Berridge and Okaro once again battled back from a first-set 13-21 loss to take the next two, 21-18, 15-13. Carballo and Lundberg won their court in dominating fashion, 21-13, 21-14.
Up next, Arellano and Follette and Berridge and Okaro will represent the Sun Devils in the pairs competition Friday and Saturday. The matches will air live on the Pac-12 Network.
THE PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP
The pairs bracket will set the No. 1s and No. 2s from each of the Pac-12 schools against one another in single-elimination format. The duos of Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follette, the No. 3 seed, and Madison Berridge and Oluoma Okaro, the No. 11 seed, will represent the Sand Devils in the competition.
Arellano and Follette will open against Oregon's No. 14 seeded Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. PT, while Berridge and Okaro will kick start pairs play against USC's Sophie Bukovec and Allie Wheeler, the No. 6 overall seed at 4 p.m. PT.
Four respective quarterfinals matches will be held the following Saturday morning at 9 a.m. PT, followed by a pair of semi-finals duals at 11 a.m. PT, culminating in the Pac-12 Pairs Championship at 1 p.m PT.
No. 4 ASU 5, No. 5 Stanford 0
1. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) def. Jenna Gray/Kathryn Plummer (STAN) 21-19, 21-18
2. Madison Berridge/Oluoma Okaro (ASU) def. Payton Chang/Ivana Vanjak (STAN) 13-21, 21-16, 15-12
3. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) def. Morgan Hentz/Michaela Keefe (STAN) 23-21, 19-21, 15-12
4. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) def. Shannon Richardson/Catherine Raquel (STAN) 21-17, 18-21, 15-8
5. Natalie Braun/Katie Cross (ASU) def. Chelsea Red-Horse/Kat Anderson (STAN) 21-16, 21-13
Order of finish: 1, 5, 4*, 2, 3
*Clinched victory
No. 1 USC 5, No. 4 ASU 0
1. Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes (USC) def. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) 22-20, 21-14
2. Sophie Bukovec/Allie Wheeler (USC) def. Madison Berridge/Oluoma Okaro (ASU) 21-15, 21-16
3. Terese Cannon/Nicolette Martin (USC) def. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) 21-13, 21-13
4. Abril Bustamante/Katrina Kernochan (USC) def. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) 21-10, 21-9
5. Jenna Belton/Jo Kremer (USC) def. Natalie Braun/Katie Cross (ASU) 21-16, 21-13
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 1, 5
*Clinched victory
No. 7 Washington 3, No. 4 ASU 2
1. Crissy Jones/Tia Scambray (UW) def. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) 21-17, 17-21, 15-9
2. Madison Berridge/Oluoma Okaro (ASU) def. Courtney Shwan/Destiny Julye (UW) 13-21, 21-18, 15-13
3. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) def. Cassie Strickland/Carly Dehoog (UW) 21-13, 21-14
4. Melanie Wade/Shayne McPherson (UW) def. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) 17-21, 21-14, 15-12
5. Anna Crabtree/Lindsey Chalmers (UW) def. Natalie Braun/Katie Cross (ASU) 21-14, 21-19
Order of finish: 5, 3, 2, 1, 4*
*Clinched victory
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Arizona State beach volleyball team (16-16) put up a good fight in the team portion of the 2017 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships Friday at the Arizona Beach Volleyball Courts in Tucson. The Sun Devils ultimately finished the day going 1-2, getting eliminated Friday night in the contender's bracket.
ASU started the day off strong sweeping the Stanford Cardinal, 5-0, for the second time in just a week's span. In the No. 2 spot, the duo of Madison Berridge and Oluoma Okaro battled back from a 13-21 first-set loss to win the next two, 21-16, 15-12. Katelyn Carballo and Ellyson Lundberg at the No. 3 and Cassidy Pickrell and Mia Rivera at the No. 4 survived three-set matches of their own to seal the victory for the Sun Devils. Senior Whitney Follette picked up her 60th career individual win in her match win with partner Bianca Arellano at No. 1. She remains the winningest player in program history. The victory also represented the pair's 40th combined victory, which also marks a program-best tally.
The Sun Devils struggled in their match with top-ranked USC, losing all five matches in straight sets. Arellano and Follette held their own in a close 22-20 first set loss to USC's Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes, but then dropped the match with a 21-14 defeat in the second set.
The Sun Devils lost a tough 3-2 match to Washington in a "win or go home" scenario in the final match of the day. Berridge and Okaro once again battled back from a first-set 13-21 loss to take the next two, 21-18, 15-13. Carballo and Lundberg won their court in dominating fashion, 21-13, 21-14.
Up next, Arellano and Follette and Berridge and Okaro will represent the Sun Devils in the pairs competition Friday and Saturday. The matches will air live on the Pac-12 Network.
THE PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP
The pairs bracket will set the No. 1s and No. 2s from each of the Pac-12 schools against one another in single-elimination format. The duos of Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follette, the No. 3 seed, and Madison Berridge and Oluoma Okaro, the No. 11 seed, will represent the Sand Devils in the competition.
Arellano and Follette will open against Oregon's No. 14 seeded Lindsey Vander Weide and Brooke Van Sickle Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. PT, while Berridge and Okaro will kick start pairs play against USC's Sophie Bukovec and Allie Wheeler, the No. 6 overall seed at 4 p.m. PT.
Four respective quarterfinals matches will be held the following Saturday morning at 9 a.m. PT, followed by a pair of semi-finals duals at 11 a.m. PT, culminating in the Pac-12 Pairs Championship at 1 p.m PT.
No. 4 ASU 5, No. 5 Stanford 0
1. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) def. Jenna Gray/Kathryn Plummer (STAN) 21-19, 21-18
2. Madison Berridge/Oluoma Okaro (ASU) def. Payton Chang/Ivana Vanjak (STAN) 13-21, 21-16, 15-12
3. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) def. Morgan Hentz/Michaela Keefe (STAN) 23-21, 19-21, 15-12
4. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) def. Shannon Richardson/Catherine Raquel (STAN) 21-17, 18-21, 15-8
5. Natalie Braun/Katie Cross (ASU) def. Chelsea Red-Horse/Kat Anderson (STAN) 21-16, 21-13
Order of finish: 1, 5, 4*, 2, 3
*Clinched victory
No. 1 USC 5, No. 4 ASU 0
1. Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes (USC) def. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) 22-20, 21-14
2. Sophie Bukovec/Allie Wheeler (USC) def. Madison Berridge/Oluoma Okaro (ASU) 21-15, 21-16
3. Terese Cannon/Nicolette Martin (USC) def. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) 21-13, 21-13
4. Abril Bustamante/Katrina Kernochan (USC) def. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) 21-10, 21-9
5. Jenna Belton/Jo Kremer (USC) def. Natalie Braun/Katie Cross (ASU) 21-16, 21-13
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 1, 5
*Clinched victory
No. 7 Washington 3, No. 4 ASU 2
1. Crissy Jones/Tia Scambray (UW) def. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) 21-17, 17-21, 15-9
2. Madison Berridge/Oluoma Okaro (ASU) def. Courtney Shwan/Destiny Julye (UW) 13-21, 21-18, 15-13
3. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) def. Cassie Strickland/Carly Dehoog (UW) 21-13, 21-14
4. Melanie Wade/Shayne McPherson (UW) def. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) 17-21, 21-14, 15-12
5. Anna Crabtree/Lindsey Chalmers (UW) def. Natalie Braun/Katie Cross (ASU) 21-14, 21-19
Order of finish: 5, 3, 2, 1, 4*
*Clinched victory