The Sand Devils will open play in the Championship's double-elimination slate on Thursday set to take on second-seeded Southern California. First serve is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. PT at Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium.
An Arizona State victory would pit the Sand Devils against the winner of No. 3 California and No. 6 Washington on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT. In the event of loss to the fifth-ranked Trojans, the Sand Devils would shift to the contenders bracket and would take on the loser of No. 8 Utah and No. 9 Oregon, on Thursday at 4:45 p.m. PT.
The Pac-12 champion will be crowned on Saturday, by virtue of a 3 p.m. PT dual featuring the respective champions of the winners and contenders bracket.
All three days of the championship will be televised on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Bay Area with Anne Marie Anderson and Holly McPeak calling the morning action, and Kevin Barnett and Mike Dodd in the afternoon.
For additional information regarding the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships, including results, television schedules and details, visit http://pac-12.com/beach-volleyball/championship.
The Stanford Beach Volleyball Stadium opened its gates on March 6, 2015. The new stadium has four courts approximately 75-yards long. Grass berms have been put in place for seating and is outlined with 10 palm trees over 100 years old to give it a 'beach' feeling, making it one of the premier collegiate sand venues in the nation. The facility is located just south of the Varsity Field Hockey Turf on the Stanford campus.
Team Seeding1. No. 1 UCLA
2. No. 5 Southern California
3. No. 12 California
4. No. 13 Stanford
5. No. 14 Arizona
6. Washington
7. Arizona St.
8. Utah
9. Oregon
Last Time Out_The Sand Devils battled, but ultimately fell short to No. 14 Arizona, 3-2, in their regular season finale, April 18th. The Maroon and Gold sprang out of the gate, sweeping the outing's opening flight of matches. Arizona State's ever reliable fours duo of Cierra Flood and Katie Cross garnered a 21-18, 21-15 victory over the Wildcats' Caroline Cordes and MaKenna Martin, to net the Maroon and Gold an early advantage. Samantha Plaster and Kate Baldwin, slotted at the fives, followed suit earning a highly contested three-set (17-21, 21-18, 15-10) win over Arizona's Brooke Burling and Jonny Baha, Arizona would ultimately rebound, capturing the night's three remaining matches. The Sand Devils battled to three sets on courts one and two, respectively, narrowly being edged out by Arizona.
Updated Season Pairs Records
| Pair | Season Record |
| Ellyson Lundberg/Katelyn Carballo | 17-8 |
| Katie Cross/Cierra Flood | 15-12 |
| Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin | 16-12 |
| Kwyn Johnson/Mia Rivera | 7-19 |
| Kara Woodard/Sydney Palmer | 3-7 |
| Kara Woodard/Halle Harker | 0-2 |
| Natalie Braun/Frances Giedraitis | 2-6 |
| Mia Rivera/Frances Giedraitis | 0-2 |
| Natalie Braun/Katelyn Carballo | 0-2 |
| Sierra Ellett/Sydney Palmer | 0-2 |
| Frances Giedraitis/Halle Harker | 2-0 |
| Sydney Palmer/Ellyson Lundberg | 1-0 |
| Cierra Flood/Jourdan Parnell | 1-0 |
| Natalie Braun/Kara Woodard | 0-2 |
| Frances Giedraitis/Sydney Palmer | 0-2 |
Updated Season/Career Individual Records
| Name | Season Record | Career Record |
| Kate Baldwin | 16-12 | 16-12 |
| Kwyn Johnson | 7-19 | 19-51 |
| Ellyson Lundberg | 18-8 | 31-21 |
| Katie Cross | 15-12 | 22-22 |
| Katelyn Carballo | 17-10 | 32-26 |
| Mia Rivera | 7-21 | 27-48 |
| Sydney Palmer | 4-11 | 22-40 |
| Frances Giedraitis | 4-10 | 26-42 |
| Kara Woodard | 3-10 | 3-10 |
| Cierra Flood | 16-12 | 16-12 |
| Jourdan Parnell | 1-0 | 15-13 |
| Natalie Braun | 2-10 | 8-28 |
| Halle Harker | 2-2 | 14-12 |
| Samantha Plaster | 16-12 | 16-12 |
| Sierra Ellett | 0-2 | 0-2 |
Diggin' In on the Sand Devils
- In just their second respective seasons donning the Maroon and Gold, sophomores Katelyn Carballo and Ellyson Lundberg, already boast the third (32-26) and fourth (31-21) most victories in program history. Their combined career pairs record of 26-14 marks the second-best in Arizona State history.
- A trio of standout Sand Devil newcomers including Kate Baldwin, Samantha Plaster and Cierra Flood, have compiled 16-12 individual records on the season. Teaming as Arizona State's fifth pair for the majority of the campaign, Baldwin and Plaster's pairs of record of 16-12 already constitutes the fourth best in program history.
- Since taking the helm in May of 2016, Sand Devil head coach Brad Keenan has coached Arizona State to 26 victories including a program-best 16 in 2017.
- In staying true to Arizona State, the 2018 Sand Devil roster features seven Arizona natives, including Sierra Ellett (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Katie Cross (Flagstaff, Ariz.), Mia Rivera (Gilbert, Ariz.), Frances Giedraitis (Tucson, Ariz.), Kara Woodard (Phoenix, Ari.z), Cierra Flood (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Natalie Braun (Phoenix, Ariz.).
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.
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).