FORT WORTH, Texas – The Sand Cats kicked off their Big 12 Tournament debut with a pair of hard-fought matches but ultimately came up short, falling 3-0 to both No. 2 seed Arizona State and No. 4 seed Utah in Fort Worth.  

Originally scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m., Arizona's opening rivalry match against Arizona State was delayed nearly five hours due to inclement weather eventually starting at 2:15 p.m in Fort Worth. 

On court two, freshman Madeline Walker and sophomore Ashlyn Zilliken battled against Daniella Kensinger and Anya Pemberton. The pair were the first to finish dropping the first set 18-21 and 9-21 in the second giving ASU their first point.  

Court three saw sophomore Brooke Boyko and freshman Katie Lambeth keep it close in both sets but couldn't quite break through, dropping the competitive match 19-21, 17-21 to Arden Besecker and Ava Haughy.  

The final completed match came down to the wire as Kylee Fitzsimmons and Brooke Blutreich put together a standout performance on court one. The senior and fifth-year duo forced ASU's Ava Kirunchyk and Samaya Morin into two extended sets, falling 21-23, 23-25 in one of the closest fights of the day. 

Courts four and five, featuring Annie Krost and Elin Kaiser, as well as Adriana Nieves Papaleo and Kate Phillips, were left unfinished after ASU clinched the dual. 

In their second match of the day, the Sand Cats faced off against No. 4 seed Utah in an elimination round matchup, playing for the opportunity to stay alive in the tournament and make a run toward the championship. Despite showing grit across the board, Arizona struggled to regain momentum after a long day on the sand. With Utah coming in rested after a six hour break and Arizona fighting through fatigue, the Sand Cats ultimately fell 3-0.  

Fitzsimmons and Blutreich came out strong once again on court one, with Blutreich making a strong impact at the net. The pair jumped out to a four point lead in the first set, but Utah rallied to take it 22-20 and closed the match with a 21-16 second set. 

Papaleo and Phillips, on court two, delivered another gritty performance before falling 17-21, 18-21 to Langley Griffin and Bella Vezzani.  

On court four, Krost and Kaiser kept it close, falling 19-21 in the first set and 15-21 in the second, to Kylie Pitzak and Ellyn Collins. 

Zilliken and Walker's match on court three, as well as Boyko and Lambeth's match on court five, went unfinished after Utah closed out the dual. 

Arizona's record for the season is 18-12 and they will wait to see if they are selected for the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship during the Selection Show on Sunday. 

No. 2 Arizona State 3, No. 3 Arizona 0
P1: Ava Kirunchyk/Samaya Morin (ASU), Kylee Fitzsimmons/Brooke Blutreich (ARIZ) 23-21, 25-23
P2: Kate Phillips/Adri Nieves Papaleo (ARIZ), Ava Williamson/Olivia McElroy (ASU) unf.
P3: Daniella Kensinger/Anya Pemberton (ASU), Ashlyn Zilliken/Madeline Walker (ARIZ) 21-18, 21-9
P4: Annie Krost/Elin Kaiser (ARIZ), Tori Clement/Kendall Whitmarsh (ASU) unf.
P5: Arden Besecker/Ava Haughy (ASU) def. Brooke Boyko/Katie Lambeth (ARIZ) 21-19, 21-17
Order of finish : 3, 5, 1

No. 4 Utah 3, No. 3 Arizona 0
P1: Kylee Fitzsimmons/Brooke Blutreich (ARIZ) def. Quincy Stephens/Katie McAlister (UTAH) 22-20, 21-16
P2: Langley Griffin/Bella Vezzani (UTAH) def. Kate Phillips/Adri Nieves Papaleo (ARIZ) 21-17, 21-18
P3: Ashlyn Zilliken/Madeline Walker (ARIZ) 6-4, Sonja Wessel/Maeve Griffin (UTAH) unf.
P4: Kylie Pitzak/Ellyn Collins (UTAH) def. Annie Krost/Elin Kaiser (ARIZ) 21-19, 21-15
P5: Brooke Boyko/Katie Lambeth (ARIZ) 14-7, Lauren Sayre/Elle Burleson (UTAH) unf.
Order of finish : 4, 2, 1