@SunDevilBeachVB Drops Two Top-10 Matches

By Media Relations Intern, Emily Ducker

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State beach volleyball team dropped both matches on the first day of the ASU Invitational, falling 4-1 to No. 2 USC and 5-0 to No. 6 Hawai'i on Friday at PERA Club.

After winning eight of the last nine, the Sun Devils fall to 10-6 (1-4 Pac-12) on the season. The first match was against Pac-12 foe USC. Ellyson Lundberg and Katie Cross earned ASU's lone win of the day in that match, taking it in three.

Match One - ASU 1, No. 2 USC 4
In the first match against USC (17-2, 1-0), the Trojans won the first four dual points, clinching the match. The Sun Devils (10-6, 1-4 Pac-12) kept it interesting as the No. 2 pair of Ellyson Lundberg and Katie Cross took got the win in three sets, 13-21, 21-19, 15-12 to earn ASU's sole point in the match.

Results (Order of Finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2)
1) Tina Graudina/Abril Bustamante (USC) def. Ashley Wenz/Katelyn Carballo (ASU) 21-19, 21-18
2) Ellyson Lundberg/Katie Cross (ASU) def. Sammy Slater/Terese Cannon (USC) 13-21, 21-19, 15-12
3) Alexandra Poletto/Haley Hallgren (USC) def. Cierra Flood/Kara Woodard (ASU) 21-11, 21-18
4) Joy Dennis/Cammie Dorn (USC) def. Kate Baldwin/Samantha Plaster (ASU) 21-11, 21-18
5) Mollie Ebertin/Maja Kaiser (USC) def. Emily Anderson/Lauren Weintraub (ASU) 22-20, 21-12

Match Two - ASU 0, No. 6 Hawai'i 5
Hawai'i (13-5) swept the second match, 5-0, to close out the day of competition. Kate Baldwin and Samantha Plaster took their match to three on court four, but they were unable to close it out.

Results (Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
1) Emily Maglio/Amy Ozee (UH) def. Ashley Wenz/Nat Braun (ASU) 21-11, 21-12
2) Julia Scoles/Ari Homayun (UH) def. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) 21-15, 21-16
3) Morgan Martin/Pani Napoleon (UH) def. Katie Cross/Cierra Flood (ASU) 21-16, 21-18
4) Kylin Loker/Hi'Lawe Huddleston (UH) def. Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin (ASU) 21-18, 19-21, 15-12
5) Paige Dreeuws/Sofia Russo (UH) def. Emily Anderson/Lauren Weintraub (ASU) 21-16, 21-18

The Sun Devils continue play in the ASU Invitational tomorrow, taking on No. 5 Pepperdine at 12 p.m. and competing in a rematch against Hawai'i at 2 p.m. Updates will be posted on Twitter, @SunDevilBeachVB, and on Instagram, @sundevilbeachvolleyball.