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Devils Slated to Open Pac-12 Slate at Stanford Invitational

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Devils Slated to Open Pac-12 Slate at Stanford InvitationalDevils Slated to Open Pac-12 Slate at Stanford Invitational
Arizona State beach volleyball (2-4) will open its Pac-12 slate traveling to the Bay Area for the 2018 Stanford Invitational, March 9-10.

The Sand Devils will compete in a pair of duels over the course of the two-day outing, set to take on California (March 9, 3:30 MT) and Stanford (March 10, 3:30 MT). Arizona State's outing with the host Cardinal on March 9 will be televised live via Pac-12 Networks. 

Scouting The Opposition...
California (3-1)
Boasts wins over Pacific, Santa Clara and San Jose State on the season, with their lone loss coming to Saint Mary's...Coached by Cal alum Meagan Owusu who enters her third season at the helm...Coming of a season that saw the program cap the campaign at 13-12 and ranked nationally for a second consecutive season...Roster features a strong fusion of freshmen and returners...Welcomes Mima Mirkovic (bronze medalist at the FIVB World Championships), Alexia Inman (AVCA High School Beach All-American Honorable Mention),  Caroline Schafer and Maddie Micheletti...Sophomore Madison Dueck and senior Bryce Bark from the squad's top pair. 

No. 14 Stanford (4-4)
Entered the campaign ranked No. 17 in the nation...Led by second-year head coach Andrew Fuller...Has earned four consecutive victories after dropping pairs of matches to No. 3 UCLA and No. 5 Hawaii, respectively...Entered 2018 off a record season, that saw the Cardinal record a program-best 13 wins...Four freshmen join the team including Amelia SmithSunny VillapandoKate Formico and Blake Sharp...Stanford welcomes back a large group of returners: Kat AndersonCourtney BowenPayton ChangJennifer DiSantoMorgan HentzCaitlin KeefeKathryn PlummerCatherine RaquelChelsea Red-Horse Mohl and Shannon Richardson...Raquel is the lone senior on this year's team, and Plummer is the reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Updated Sand Devil Individual Season/Career Records
Name Season Record Career Record
Kate Baldwin 3-3 3-3
Kwyn Johnson 1-5 13-37
Ellyson Lundberg 5-1 18-14
Katie Cross 3-3 10-13
Katelyn Carballo 5-1 20-17
Mia Rivera 1-5 21-33
Sydney Palmer 0-1 18-30
Frances Giedraitis 0-3 22-35
Kara Woodard 0-3 0-3
Cierra Flood 3-3 3-3
Jourdan Parnell 0-0 14-13
Natalie Braun 0-3 6-21
Halle Harker 0-2 12-12
Samantha Plaster 3-3 3-3

Updated Pairs Records
Pair Season Record
Ellyson Lundberg/Katelyn Carballo 5-1
Katie Cross/Cierra Flood 3-3
Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin 3-3
Kwyn Johnson/Mia Rivera 1-5
Kara Woodard/Sydney Palmer 0-1
Kara Woodard/Halle Harker 0-2
Natalie Braun/Frances Giedraitis 0-3

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 JohnsonSydney PalmerMia RiveraFrances Giedraitis and Halle Harker.

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).