TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona hosts the second-annual 2017 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships. The tournament begins Thursday, April 27 and concludes Saturday, April 29.
No. 1 USC, No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Utah, and Washington will all compete in Pac-12 team and pair championship play.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to bring the PAC-12 women's beach volleyball championships to The University of Arizona and Tucson," said head coach
Steve Walker. "Based off of last years' experience, I know the conference is going to put on a great production and it will be doubly exciting with all of the coverage on PAC-12 Networks. Our team is ready for what challenges lie ahead and show that we are the type of team that loves and invites this kind of elite competition."
All nine teams are seeded for the upcoming championship. No. 1 USC is the No. 1 seed. UCLA is the No. 2 seed and is also the second-ranked team in the nation. Eighth-ranked ARIZONA is the No. 3 seed, ARIZONA STATE is the No. 4 seed and STANFORD is the fifth seed. CALIFORNIA was tabbed the No. 6 seed in the team bracket, followed by No. 7 WASHINGTON and UTAH, which is making its inaugural appearance in the championship, is the eighth seed, with OREGON rounding out the tournament as the No. 9 seed.
Arizona heads into the tournament holding a (15-8) overall record. The No. 1 pair of Madison and
McKenna Witt and No. 4 tandem of
Hailey Devlin and
Sam Manley lead the team with a (17-6) record.
To begin team play on Thursday, UA will take on Cal at 11 a.m. for the second time this season. The Wildcats have a recent victory against Cal, as they swept the team this past senior weekend.
The winner of the final round of both, the winners bracket and contenders bracket will meet in the Championship round to be crowned, 2017 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Champion on Friday, April 28 at 1 p.m. MST.
Pair play begins on Friday, April 27 and is single elimination. UA's Madison and
McKenna Witt were seeded as the No. 5 pair and the duo of
Olivia Hallaran and
Olivia Macdonald are seeded at No. 10.
To begin the road to crown a pair champion, No. 5 seed of Madison and
McKenna Witt will take on Washington's No. 12 seed of Cassie Strickland and Courtney Schwan at 5 p.m. MST on Friday. An hour before the Witts, the Wildcats No. 10 seeded pair,
Olivia Hallaran and
Olivia Macdonald will take the sand against Stanford's No. 7 seed of Kathryn Plummer and Jenna Gray at 4 p.m. MST.
The Pairs Championship will be held the following day on Saturday, April 29 in conclusion of the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships.
This is not Arizona' s first time competing at the championship level. The Wildcats were the runner-up in last year's team championship. UA's twin duo of Madison and
McKenna Witt fell to Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes in the pairs final.
The 2017 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships will be aired on Pac-12 Networks from Thursday, April 27 to Friday, April 28.
Stay tuned to Arizonalivestats.com and Pac-12.com to keep up with match action online.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thurs., April 27 Team Championship Opening Rounds 9 a.m.
Fri., April 28 Team Championship play continues 9 a.m.
Team Championship Awards Ceremony 12:30 p.m.
Pairs Championship Opening Rounds 1 p.m.
Sat., April 29 Pairs Championship play continues 9 a.m.
Pairs Champion Awards Ceremony 2 p.m.
Follow the Cats!
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