By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Bianca Arellano admits that when she began playing beach volleyball for the Sun Devils' first-year program in 2014, it created conflicts with the indoor game she had played her entire life.

"I never found beach very fostering for my skills as a setter because I'm not hand-setting out on the beach; I'm not getting hundreds of reps a day. It's a completely different skill so I wasn't getting the touches I wanted for indoor season," she said. "It helped my defense, it helped my serving, it helped a lot of other aspects but I just saw it as a fun offseason thing."

 As she advanced though her indoor and beach careers at ASU, however, eventually teaming up with Whitney Follette on the sand, her perspective changed. 

"As senior year got closer, Whitney and I became more competitive," she said. "We started thinking, 'we can seriously do something with this, help our teammates out and take this program somewhere.' Now that I'm done with my indoor eligibility, this is something I've been able to focus on."

Arellano and Follette served notice that they'll be a force this season when they rallied to defeat Arizona's top duo, McKenna and Madison Witt, 19-21, 21-13 and 15-10 on March 4 in Tucson. The victory tipped the scales in ASU's 3-2 win over the No. 6 Wildcats, earning ASU the No. 12 national ranking (tied with Florida International) in this week's AVCA collegiate beach volleyball poll. It's the first time ASU has been ranked in the sport.

"I wasn't sure what to expect this year," said Follette, who, like Arellano, concluded her indoor eligibility in 2015. "I knew that we had improved a lot because we had that fall to prepare that we had never had before with indoor season, so I knew we were going to be better with a year under our belt, but you never know.  

"Now I think we're going to do some work this year." 

Like Arellano, Follette had focused primarily on the indoor game. Growing up outside Edmonton, beach season was short and she viewed it primarily as recreational. 

"People have been asking me which I like better and I always said beach was more fun but I was better at indoors," Follette. "Now I think I like sand better. Beach is a lot easier on your body, you develop more skills and I think you can play it a lot longer. It's more of a lifestyle sport. You see people playing on beaches everywhere and the atmosphere is really chill and relaxing."

Both Arellano and Follette admit playing on the sand required significant adjustments.

"You have to know all parts of the game," Arellano said. "I need to not only serve, I need to pass and make shots and read defensively. There are different strategies, there are balls you have to give up."

"It's totally different because there are only two of you," Follette added. "There's a lot more resistance with moving and there are different rules like setting off of first contact. Setting, in general, you almost take it completely out until you get better. 

"As a middle I didn't play any defense or serve receive at all so I had to build those skills up. You're in every play because you have to touch the ball every time. There's a lot more effort required because of that." 

Entering this weekend's Sun Devil Challenge, the duo holds the first and second most wins in program history, respectively (Follette with 38; Arellano with 36). Their 18 wins as a pair in 2016 represent the most in a single season in program history. As they wind down their ASU careers, Arellano and Follette are trying to relish this last season before they head their separate ways.  

Follette hopes to try out for Team Canada and then play pro volleyball in South Korea (she has applied) or somewhere in Europe in the fall. Arellano, who earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology and is working toward a master's in healthcare delivery, is applying to medical schools and will take her MCAT's this summer.

As they reflect back upon the highs and lows of their Sun Devil volleyball experience, Follette cites beating every Pac-12 school as a high point while  Arellano chooses a win over defending national champ Texas in 2013. Both cite losing star outside hitter Macey Gardner to a torn ACL in 2015 as their low point. The Sun Devils were 15-0, ranked No. 5 in the nation and posed a legitimate threat to win the national championship before the injury. 

"We were so good," Follette said. "It's hard to wrap it around one person but she was such a huge part of our team and she was my best friend so it was hard even outside volleyball." 

Arellano said even that experience was valuable.

"Things like that put life into perspective she said. "Just when you think everything is going your way, one split second can change everything, so that's a lesson and there have been so many here.  

"I'm going to take all the memories, all the mistakes, all the negatives, all the positives, everything I've learned with me. I've gained time management skills and leadership skills and interactions from talking with administrators and coaches. There's so much value to this experience because of the network you create and all the interactions you have and what it teaches you.   

"I'm going to use everything to my advantage with everyone I meet and everyone I treat, hopefully, as a future physician. I was so happy to be on a team. It's definitely special when you're working with others and you're successful."

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