GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University Beach Volleyball team made Saturday a day to remember as the Mavericks claimed their first ever wins over a Pac-12 Conference opponent, beating visiting Utah 3-2 in the first dual of a doubleheader before coming back to take a trio of 3-set victories in a 5-0 sweep of the Utes in the nightcap.
The matches, played in beautiful early spring weather conditions, although a touch windy to begin the day, at the CMU Beach Volleyball Courts were the first ever home affairs for the Mavericks against an official NCAA opponent.
The Mavericks improved to 2-3 overall with their historic wins while the Utes fell to 1-4 on the season.
The Mavericks were especially strong at the bottom of the lineup as the No. 4 duo of
Ara Norwood and
Tye Wedhorn and the No. 5 pair of
Ashton Reese and
Sabrina VanDeList won both of their matches in straight sets.
Reese and VanDeList's victories clinched both duals that saw the Mavericks get out to 3-0 team leads. They won by 21-18, 21-16 and 21-11, 21-11 scores. VanDeList, a freshman, picked up her first two career wins.
Norwood, now has 17 to her credit, just one shy of
Katie Scherr's school-record of 18. She and Wedhorn, a first-time winner, squeaked out a 21-19, 22-20 victory over Mia Kowalczyk and Joana Saucedo Mondragon in the first dual before posting a much more dominant 21-14, 21-12 victory in the afternoon.
The Mavs' No. 2 duo of
Macie Lachemann and
Savannah Spitzer also went 2-0 on the day as they defeated Keana Smalls and Grace Andrews, 21-18, 21-19 in the first match before coming from a set down in the nightcap to win, 14-21, 21-15, 15-13. The victories were the first of Spitzer's career.
The Maverick all-freshman pair of
Sierra Hunt and
Hahni Johnson also split a pair of 3-set affairs with Utah's Camille Lee and Olivia Teerlink. All three sets of the first match were decided by just two points with the Ute duo claiming the 20-22, 22-20, 15-13 come-from-behind victory.
However, Hunt and Johnson, who both won their first career matches, came from a set down to take the second meeting, 16-21, 21-16, 15-11.
The two teams also split matches in the top flight as
Holly Schmidt and
Maddi Foutz also managed to pull out a 3-set thriller in the second dual. They had dropped the first match 21-19, 21-15 but claimed the first set of the afternoon affair, 21-19. Utah's Sage Patchell and Marissa Koch then won the second set, 21-14 before Schmidt and Foutz led through most of the third set, holding on for a 15-13 win as the Mavs sealed the 5-0 sweep, which was also their second ever sweep of an NCAA Division I institution.
The Mavericks' also won a pair of exhibition matches as
Paige Gwaltney and
Savannah Ott defeated Abby Cramer and Mary Rideout, 21-9, 21-18 in the morning before
Rianne Brown and
Mary McGinnis dominated the same Ute duo, winning two sets by identical 21-10 scores.
The Mavericks will resume their season on Mar. 22 at CSUN in Northridge, California.
Colorado Mesa 3, Utah 2 (Match #1)
No. 1: Sage Patchell/Marissa Koch (UTAH) def.
Holly Schmidt/
Maddi Foutz (CMU), 21-19, 21-15
No. 2:
Macie Lachemann/
Savannah Spitzer (CMU) def. Keana Smalls/Grace Andrews (UTAH), 21-18, 21-19
No. 3: Camille Lee/Olivia Teerlink (UTAH) def.
Hahni Johnson/
Sierra Hunt (CMU), 20-22, 22-20, 15-13
No. 4:
Ara Norwood/
Tye Wedhorn (CMU) def. Mia Kowalczyk/Joana Saucedo Mondragon (UTAH), 21-19, 22-20
No. 5:
Ashton Reese/
Sabrina VanDeList (CMU) def. Kaiya Liwanag /Hannah Stahle (UTAH), 21-18, 21-16
Ext:
Paige Gwaltney/
Savannah Ott (CMU) def. Abby Cramer/Macy Rideout (UTAH), 21-9, 21-18.
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 1, 3
Colorado Mesa 5, Utah 0 (Match #2)
No. 1:
Holly Schmidt/
Maddi Foutz (CMU) def. Sage Patchell/Marissa Koch (UTAH), 21-19, 14-21, 15-13
No. 2:
Macie Lachemann/
Savannah Spitzer (CMU) def. Keana Smalls/Grace Andrews (UTAH), 14-21, 21-15, 15-13
No. 3:
Hahni Johnson/
Sierra Hunt (CMU) Camille Lee/Olivia Teerlink (UTAH), 16-21, 21-16, 15-11
No. 4:
Ara Norwood/
Tye Wedhorn (CMU) def. Mia Kowalczyk/Joana Saucedo Mondragon (UTAH), 21-14, 21-12
No. 5:
Ashton Reese/
Sabrina VanDeList (CMU) def. Kaiya Liwanag /Hannah Stahle (UTAH), 21-11, 21-11
Ext:
Rianne Brown/
Mary McGinnis (CMU) def. Abby Cramer/Macy Rideout (UTAH), 21-10, 21-10.
Order of Finish:4, 2, 5, 3, 1
