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Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball Lifts Lid on 2018 Season with Sun Devil Challenge

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State beach volleyball program will officially lift the lid on its 2018 season this weekend, set to host the Sun Devil Challenge on Feb. 24-25.

Slated to be held at the PERA Club, the tournament will feature a strong field including reigning national and Pac-12 champion No. 1 USC, along with Nebraska and No. 14 Cal Poly.

The PERA Club is located at 1 E. Continental Drive, just five minutes away from ASU's Tempe Campus. Admission is free and fans are encouraged to bring their own chairs.

The Sand Devils will officially open the 2018 campaign on Saturday with a 6 p.m. MT duel with perennial powerhouse USC. 
 
The following afternoon, Arizona State will take on Nebraska at 11 a.m. MT., before rounding out the tournament with a 3 p.m. MT tilt with Cal Poly.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
NO. 1 USC...
USC enters the 2018 season with three consecutive national titles to its credit...the Trojans also enter the campaign as the reigning Pac-12 champions...USC maintained its top spot in the NCAA beach rankings, appearing at No. 1 in VolleyMob's preseason poll...the team is coached by Anna Collier (146-18 overall record), who enters her seventh season at the helm of the program...the team will enter the season without its top duo of Kelly Claes and Sarah Hughes due to graduation...the Trojans return All-Pac-12 Second-Team honoree Terese Cannon while welcoming a promising group of freshmen including Tina Graudina, Haley Hallgren, Maja Kaiser and Sammy Slater. 

NEBRASKA...
Nebraska is coming off a 2017 season that saw the program compile a 5-7 record...John Cook maintains his post as head coach, entering his sixth season at the helm...the team returns six letter-winners in 2018 while welcoming a strong contingent of six freshmen.

NO. 14 CAL POLY...
Cal Poly enters the season ranked No. 14 in VolleyMob's preseason poll...the program is led by Todd Rogers who enters his third season as head coach...under Rogers, the Mustangs have compiled a 23-35 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).

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 - 18
Katelyn Carballo 15 - 16
Katie Cross 7 - 10
Halle Harker 12-10
Frances Giedraitis 22 - 32
Kwyn Johnson 10 - 18
Ellyson Lundberg 13 - 13
Sydney Palmer 18 - 29
Jourdan Parnell 14 - 13
Mia Rivera 10-29
Kara Woodard 0 - 0

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). 
 
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Players Mentioned

Bianca Arellano

#1 Bianca Arellano

5' 8"
Senior
Whitney Follette

#12 Whitney Follette

6' 2"
Senior
Oluoma Okaro

#15 Oluoma Okaro

6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Bianca Arellano

#1 Bianca Arellano

5' 8"
Senior
Whitney Follette

#12 Whitney Follette

6' 2"
Senior
Oluoma Okaro

#15 Oluoma Okaro

6' 1"
Junior