TUCSON, Ariz. - The No. 15 Arizona beach volleyball team dropped the first two matches of the Seminole Beach Battle, falling to No. 3 Florida State 4-1, and No. 10 Stetson 3-2.
"We battled really well and continue to improve", said head coach
Steve Walker. "Our new partnerships are coming along, and we are on the right track."
The Cats made their tournament debut against Florida State this morning at Seminole Beach. They lost by a score of 4-1, the single win coming from the pair of
Natalie Anselmo and
Madison Rigdon, who won in two sets 21-19, 21-15 .
Arizona faced Stetson for their second match of the day. The Cats were first to get on the board with a win, thanks to a 21-14, 21-18, victory earned by
Jasmine Safar and
Sarah Blacker. Stetson got on the board right after, to tie the match 1-1. Arizona responded when Anselmo and Rigdon clutched their second win of the tournament 21-17,16-21, 19-17. The Hatters came out on top after two third set matches to earn the 3-2 win.
The Wildcats will continue tournament play tomorrow, when they take on Austin Peay at 6:30 a.m. MST.
No. 14 Arizona vs. No. 3 Florida State
1. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FS) def.
Olivia Hallaran/
Mia Mason (AZ) 21-16, 21-16
2. Brooke Kuhlman/Payton Rund (FS) def.
Jonny Baham/
Brooke Burling (AZ) 21-10, 17-21, 15-13
3.
Natalie Anselmo/
Madison Rigdon (AZ) def. Morgan Chacon/Sara Putt (FS) 21-19, 21-15
4. Molly McBain/Payton Caffrey (FS) def.
Sarah Blacker/
Jasmine Safar (AZ) 16-21, 21-14, 17-15
5. Macy Jerger/Kate Privett (FS) def.
Ainise Havili/
Dana Parker (AZ) 21-11, 21-18
Ext. Avery Poppinga/Ashley Robert (FS) def.
Candice Denny/
Caroline Cordes (AZ) 21-11, 21-19
No. 14 Arizona vs. No. 10 Stetson
1. S. Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def.
Olivia Hallaran/
Mia Mason (AZ) 21-23, 21-14, 15-8
2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def.
Jonny Baham/
Brooke Burling (AZ) 21-19, 20-22, 15-9
3.
Natalie Anselmo/
Madison Rigdon (AZ) def. Rachel Noble/Ana Costa (STET) 21-17, 16-21, 19-17
4.
Sarah Blacker/
Jasmine Safar (AZ) def. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET) 21-14, 21-18
5. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) def.
Ainise Havili/
Dana Parker (AZ) 21-19, 17-21, 15-9
Ext.
Candice Denny/
Caroline Cordes (AZ) vs. Yasmin Kuck/Alexa Richardson (STET) 21-14, 14-21, unfinished
Follow the Cats!
For continued coverage of Arizona Wildcat Beach Volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com. Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona Athletics by following us on Twitter (@UAbeachvb), Instagram (@arizonabeachvolleyball), Facebook (ArizonaBeachVolleyball), and Snapchat (Arizonabeachvb).
