May 9, 2000
ASU women's volleyball stars Amanda Burbridge and Jami Coughlin led the roll call of the champions from the Tempe Dodge Sun Devil Turf Challenge this past weekend, May 6-7, at the Sun Devil Football practice fields. Over 150 teams in eight divisions participated in the grass volleyball tournament, the largest outdoor volleyball tournament in the southwest.
Burbridge and Coughlin crushed the team of former All Pac-10 Sun Devil performer Terry Cox and incoming ASU recruit Natalie Harris 15-0 in the Women's Open division final. Cox and Harris fought past Vikki Moran and defending champion Felicia Sardella in tough semifinal match to make it to the final. Burbridge and Coughlin became the first current ASU players to win the Women's Open division.
Taking home the $450 first prize in the Men's Open division was the team of Rico Becker and Mike Bruning, who beat former ASU men's club players Wade Johnson and Joe Phillips 15-8 in the final. Bruning is a former U.S. Open tournament All-American and current member of the U.S. Deaf National team and Becker was the '98 Turf Challenge champion and has been the top-ranked sand volleyball player in Arizona for three years.
Burbridge returned on Sunday to team with ASU men's club team member Jared Thomas to win the Coed Open division. They defeated a team of Todd Wills and Sandi Sindart 15-6 in the final, enabling Burbridge to also become the first Women's Open champion to also capture the Coed crown the same year.