TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State beach volleyball (1-2) will hit the road for the first time on the 2018 campaign traveling to Forth Worth, Texas for the Texas Christian-hosted Fight in the Fort tournament, slated to be held March 3-4.
The event will feature an impressive field boasting three teams - No. 8 Cal Poly, No. 14 TCU and No. 18 Tulane - currently ranked in the top-20 nationally.
The Sand Devils will partake in three duels over the course of the two-day event, with scheduled matches against Cal Poly (8 a.m. MST) and Tulane (Noon MST) on Saturday, followed by a lone meeting with TCU (11 a.m. MST) on Sunday.
Scouting The Opposition...
No. 8 Cal Poly (4-2)
Arizona State played host to Cal Poly on Feb. 26, falling to the Mustangs 3-2...Cal Poly is currently ranked No. 8, after entering the season ranked at No. 14 in VolleyMob's preseason poll...Notable wins include No. 6 Pepperdine and No. 12 Grand Canyon...the program is led by Todd Rogers who enters his third season as head coach...under Rogers, the Mustangs have compiled a 25-36 record...the program welcomed three highly-touted transfers in the offseason in Tia Miric, Tessa Tooman and Jamie Stivers...the Mustangs return their top pairs of Hannah Hubbard/Emily Sonny (20-18 overall) and Taylor Nelson/Adlee Van Winden (24-10 overall).
No. 18 Tulane (0-0)
Tulane is coming off stellar 2017 season that saw the program finish with a 24-13 record, its most single-season wins in program history...The Green Waves return the now sophomore duo of Kaylie McHugh and Tarin Mergener who combined for 54 overall wins, breaking the freshman class record in 2017...the team also welcomes back Madeline Mertz, a preseason all-conference selection and a member of the CCSA All-Tournament Team last season, and junior Anna Chin...Wayne Holly enters his sixth season at the helm having led the program to four consecutive winning seasons.
No. 14 TCU (3-1)
The Horned Frogs are off to a 3-1 start with a trio of victories over Houston Baptist, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Louisiana-Monroe and a lone loss to No. 14 Florida International...TCU closed out the 2017 season ranked in the AVCA Top 15 first the first time in school history (13th) and tied a school record with 18 wins to their credit...The Frogs are spearheaded by a strong core of returners including Jaelyn Greene (21 wins in 2017), followed by Jillian Bergeson (16 wins in 2017, 35 career), Claire Doyle (12 wins in 2017) and Haven Hill (10 wins in 2017).
Last Time Out...
The Sand Devils played host to the Sun Devil Challenge, Feb. 24-25, picking up their first victory of the 2018 against Nebraska (3-2), while dropping duels to No. 1 Southern California (3-2) and No. 8 Cal Poly (3-2). The rising sophomore duo of Ellyson Lundberg and Katelyn Carballo highlighted the outing, compiling a perfect 3-0 record over the course of the two-day event. Making their respective collegiate debuts, Samantha Plaster and Kate Baldwin combined for a 2-1 record, while fellow freshman Cierra Flood paired with junior Katie Cross followed suit with a 2-1 weekend tally.
2018 SEASON PROSPECTUS...
On March 3-4, the Sun Devils will head to Fort Worth, Texas, for the TCU Tournament where they will face Cal Poly, Tulane and TCU.
ASU then heads to California for the Stanford Tournament where they will face California on March 9 at 3:30 p.m., and Stanford on March 10 at 3:30 p.m.
The Pac-12 South Invitational begins on March 24 in Santa Monica, Calif. Over the course of the two-day tournament, the Sun Devils will face UCLA, USC, Stanford and Washington.
The squad then heads to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete in the New Mexico Tournament on March 30-31.
The Sun Devils will head to Tucson on April 6 for a tripleheader in the Arizona Tournament. ASU faces California at 1 p.m., Colorado Mesa at 4 p.m., and Arizona at 6 p.m.
Coach Keenan's squad has a quick turnaround with a home doubleheader the following day on April 7, matching up with Stetson at 3 p.m., and Vanguard at 7 p.m.
Next up for the Sun Devils is a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, to take part in the Hawaii Tournament beginning on April 14. ASU concludes the 2018 regular season with a home match against the Arizona Wildcats on April 18 at 6 p.m.
The postseason begins on April 26 with the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships in Stanford, Calif. The tournament is set to be held over a three-day span. The 2018 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships follow, beginning on May 4 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
| 2018 ASU Beach Volleyball Home Schedule | |||
| Date | Time | Opponent | |
| Friday 2/16 | 6:00 p.m. | Maroon and Gold Scrimmage | |
| Sun Devil Challenge 2/24-2/25 |
|||
| Saturday 2/24 | 6 p.m. | USC | |
| Sunday 2/25 | 11 a.m. | Nebraska | |
| Sunday 2/25 | 3 p.m. | Cal Poly | |
| Saturday 4/7 | 3 p.m. | Stetson | |
| Saturday 4/7 | 7 p.m. | Vanguard | |
| Wednesday 4/18 | 6 p.m. | Arizona | |
2018 RETURNERS…
The Sun Devils return 11 letter-winners in 2018, spearheaded by a strong core of seniors including Kwyn Johnson, Sydney Palmer, Mia Rivera, Frances Giedraitis and Halle Harker.
| Name | Career Record |
| Natalie Braun | 6 - 19 |
| Katelyn Carballo | 18 - 16 |
| Katie Cross | 9 - 11 |
| Halle Harker | 12-11 |
| Frances Giedraitis | 22 - 33 |
| Kwyn Johnson | 10 - 21 |
| Ellyson Lundberg | 16 - 13 |
| Sydney Palmer | 18 - 30 |
| Jourdan Parnell | 14 - 13 |
| Mia Rivera | 10-32 |
| Kara Woodard | 0 - 2 |
NEWCOMERS…
The Sun Devil roster features many new faces in 2018. Newcomers include Kate Baldwin (Lakewood, Calif.), Sierra Ellett (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Bailey Anderson (Las Vegas, Nev.), Cierra Flood (Phoenix, Ariz.), Cassidy Schilling (Moorpark, Calif.) and Samantha Plaster (Flower Mound, Texas).
2017 IN RETROSPECT...
Arizona State collectively wrapped up the 2017 campaign with 16 victories, its most in program history, having earned double-digit win totals in consecutive seasons. Under the direction of first-year head coach Brad Keenan, the Sand Devils notched a number of quality victories, most notably knocking off then-No. 6 Arizona, 3-2, in Tucson on March 4. The Sand Devils also garnered national recognition, cracking the AVCA collegiate volleyball poll for the first time in team history and appeared in the rankings for five consecutive weeks. Three student-athletes earned All-Pac-12 honors, including Bianca Arellano (First Team), Whitney Follette (First Team) and Oluoma Okaro (Second Team).