TUCSON, Ariz.—The Arizona Beach Volleyball team will continue their road stretch this week, traveling to Boise, Idaho and Stanford, California to compete in the Boise State Tri-Duel and the Stanford Invitational.
At the Tri-Dual, the Sand Cats will face Boise State for the third time this season and Saint Mary's for the first. In Stanford, the Cats will play Pacific University for the first time this season and will face a rematch against the Cardinal.
Over the weekend, the Wildcats went 1-3 at the Pac-12 North Invitational. Arizona fell to No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Stanford and No. 7 University of California-Berkeley but defeated Oregon 5-0. Arizona has a 16-7 (.696) record heading into the Tri-Dual.
Boise State Tri-Dual Match Ups
Boise State- The Sand Cats are undefeated (14-0) against Santa Clara, with two of those wins taking place earlier this season. When the teams last met in March at the Malibu Invite, Arizona defeated the Broncos 3-2.
Saint Mary's- The Wildcats will face Saint Mary's for the first time at the Tri-Duel. The Gaels are 12-12 on the season.
Boise State Tri-Dual full match schedule:
Wednesday, April 10:
MATCH 1- Saint Mary's vs. Boise State (10:00 a.m.)
MATCH 2- Saint Mary's vs. Arizona (12:00 p.m.)
MATCH 3- Arizona vs. Boise State (2:00 p.m.)
Stanford Invitational Match Ups:
Stanford- Historically, the Sand Cats are 6-6 against the Cardinal. Arizona last faced No. 2 Stanford this season at the Pac-12 North Invitational, where they fell to the Cardinal in a 0-5 loss.
Pacific- Arizona Beach Volleyball and Pacific University will meet for the first time this Friday. Pacific is 0-20 on the season.
Stanford Invitational full match schedule:
Friday, April 12:
MATCH 1- Arizona vs. Stanford (11:00 a.m.)
MATCH 2- Pacific vs. Arizona (1:00 p.m.)
MATCH 3- Pacific vs. Stanford (3:00 p.m.)
NOTING THE WILDCATS:
Steve Walker is in his 11th season as the head coach for Arizona Beach Volleyball. Walker has a career record of 196-89 (.687) at Arizona. Named the 2016 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year, Walker led Arizona to the first NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in 2016.
Senior Abby Russell has a record of 57-37 (.606) at Arizona, putting her at No. 12 for career wins at Arizona. This season, Russell and partner Olivia McElroy have gone 15-8 (.652), with eight wins at No.1 and seven wins at No. 2.
Olivia McElroy, in her freshman season at Arizona, is 15-8 (.652).
Senior Hope Shannon is 14-9 (.609) on the season and 64-38 (.627) in her career as a Wildcat. Shannon continues to move up in the rankings for individual career wins at Arizona, now at the No. 9 spot. Last weekend, Shannon and partner Annie Kost went 1-3 at the No. 2 position.
Kost has a career record of 43-23 (.652) at Arizona, and holds the No. 17 spot for individual career wins within the program. This season, Kost is 17-6 (.739), with the most wins on the Wildcat roster.
Kylee Fitzsimmons and Grace Cook were the only Wildcat pair to earn a point against No. 1 UCLA this past weekend at the No. 3 position.
5th year Grace Cook, who transferred to Arizona from Missouri State in 2023, has a career record of 33-22 (.600) as a Wildcat, putting her at No. 20 for career wins as an individual at Arizona. This season, Cook is 12-11 (.522) and has earned four wins at No. 1, six wins at No. 2 and two wins at No. 3.
Junior Kylee Fitzsimmons has a career record of 24-11 (.686). This season, Fitzsimmons has gone 15-8, with six victories at No. 2 and nine victories at No. 3.
Senior Miranda Erro is 31-21 (.596) at Arizona, earning the No. 21 spot for individual career wins. This season, Erro has a 12-9 (.571) record at the No. 5 position with freshman partner Ashlyn Zilliken.
Zilliken is 13-9 (.591) in her first season as a Sand Cat. This past weekend, Zilliken and Erro went 1-3 at the Pac-12 North Invitational.
Freshmen Jess Horwath and Kate Phillips have one of the best pair records for the Sand Cats so far this season, going 15-7 (.682) at the No. 4 position.
