GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After winning the NCAA Division II tournament title in 2022 and reaching the championship match again last year, the Colorado Mesa University beach volleyball team will look for another strong national tournament performance when they head to Tavares, Florida for this weekend's AVCA Small College Beach Championships at Hickory Point Beach.
The Mavericks, 14-10 overall and 3-2 against Division II opposition this season, have been seeded third in the 16-team Division II tournament that runs Friday-Saturday and will play six total matches over the weekend, two on each day.
They headline Pool C and will play No. 11 seed Eckerd, No. 14 seed Emmanuel (Ga.) on Friday before facing No. 6 seed Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday in their final pool match, which will set up the match-ups for the Challenge Round against a Pool D opponent that afternoon.
Those challenge match results will then set up the 4-team Champions, Silver, Bronze and Copper brackets for Sunday's portion of the tournament.
A NCAA Division III and NAIA Tournament will also be held concurrently.
Additionally, the Maverick have also entered three pairs for Friday's Pairs Challenge, reserved for players outside of the various teams' 1-5 flight lineups.
Results of the tournament can be accessed through the
VolleyballLife.com website.
Last Time Out
The Mavericks were off last weekend after wrapping up the regular season with a 2-2 team record at the Utah Beach Classic on Mar. 29-30.
The Mavs split two a pair of 3-2 matches with Concordia University Irvine and defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville for the second time this season, two opponents the Mavs could face on Friday or Saturday. The Mavs were also defeated by a 3-2 margin by the host Utes.
Hahni Johnson and
Amanda Ollinger went 4-0 as a duo, matching and then breaking the CMU record for single season wins (more on that below) while the
Barett Nolan/
Gracyn Spresser and
Savannah Spitzer/
Sabrina VanDeList pairs both went 3-1 throughout the weekend.
Complete recaps of both days of action can be found at the links below.
A strong history
As mentioned above, the Mavericks have fared well at past AVCA Small College Beach Championships. They will be making their fifth straight appearance since 2019 (the 2020 event was canceled) and have posted a combined 16-8 record in their previous four appearances, going 5-1 in each of the last two years.
They won the title in 2022 and placed second last year after tying for fifth in 2021 while going 2-3. The Mavs finished fourth and were 4-3 in their debut appearance in 2019.
Team Record Chase
If they go undefeated and win the national tournament title for the second time, the Mavs would set a new program record for single season wins (20). With five wins over the three days, the Mavs would match last year's squad, that finished 19-8, for dual wins.
The 14 wins are already the third most in school history, trailing only the 2022 (16-10) and 2023 (19-8) teams.
Record Setters
The Maverick No. 1 duo of
Hahni Johnson and
Amanda Ollinger tied the CMU single-season wins record on Mar. 29 and then broke the record a day later. They are an impressive 26-2 overall this season, going 22-2 in dual meets, including a 21-2 mark in the top flight.
Johnson and Ollinger broke the record of 24 wins that Johnson had set with
Savannah Spitzer last year.
Queen of the Program Battle
An interesting sub-plot to follow this week will be the intrasquad battle of career wins for seniors
Hahni Johnson and
Sabrina VanDeList, who will enter the final weekend of their careers tied for the program record. They have both won 63 matches in their respective careers.
VanDeList, who has 17 wins this season, set the record early this season but has been caught by Johnson.
Despite being with the program for four years, Johnson and VanDeList have never played with each other on the beach. They do share the bond of having played with
Savannah Spitzer, who ranks third on the CMU career charts with 53 wins. Johnson and VanDeList are also both setters on CMU's standout indoor volleyball team and can return for a fifth year of indoor eligibility next fall.
Awards
Following the conclusion of Sunday's championship match, the AVCA will honor six student-athletes as Division II All-Americans. Two athletes from each of the top three finishing teams will be recognized.
The Mavericks have had such selections in each of the past two years with current Mavericks
Hahni Johnson &
Savannah Spitzer receiving the honor in 2022 as sophomores while now graduated Mavs
Macie Lachemann and
Holly Schmidt claimed the plaudits a year ago.
The Lineup
Here is a look at the Mavericks' expected lineup for this weekend's tournament, along with their records as partners.
- Hahni Johnson/Amanda Ollinger (26-2 Overall, 22-2 in duals)
- Riley Daugherty/Sierra Hunt (15-12 Overall, 13-11 in duals)
- Savannah Ott/Taylor Scherff (8-10 Overall, 6-9 in duals)
- Barett Nolan/Gracyn Spresser (9-7 Overall, 8-6 in duals)
- Savannah Spitzer/Sabrina VanDeList (13-6 Overall, 10-5 in duals)
Pairs Challenge
Know Your Foes
Here is a brief look at the Mavs' three Pool C opponents.
Eckerd (Friday – 9:05 a.m. EDT/7:05 a.m. MDT)
The Tritons, who hail from St. Petersburg, Florida, have compiled a 6-16 record this season but have won three of their last four decisions. They have not left the state of Florida this season.
They also finished the year with a 6-14 record last year but won their final three matches of the season at the AVCA Small College Championships to win the Bronze A pool.
Emmanuel (Ga.) – 1:25 p.m. EDT/11:25 a.m. MDT)
The Lions, who are in their inaugural season, have posted an 11-17 record, going a combined 2-5 over the last two weekends. They are from Franklin Springs, Georgia.
Palm Beach Atlantic – 11:15 a.m. EDT/9:15 a.m.
The Sailfish have compiled a 15-15 record this spring, winning a 5-0 decision over Barry last Saturday after going 2-2 at the Tampa Spartans Invitational on Easter weekend. They were 3-1 at their home invitational the week prior. Like Eckerd, the Sailfish have not left the state of Florida this season.
The Rest of the Field
Here is the list of 16 teams competing in the NCAA Division II portion of the tournament. They have all been seeded and were placed in their pools in a serpentine (snake) format. Tampa, the defending national champions, headline Pool A as the top overall seed, while CUI headlines Pool B as the No. 2 seed. Saint Leo is the No. 4 seed and headlines Pool D while Texas A&M-Kingsville is the No. 5 seed.
If seeds go to form, the Mavericks would play Kingsville for the third time this season in Saturday afternoon's Challenge Round with a spot in the Championship bracket on the line. CMU has defeated the Javelinas twice this season and have a 3-2 record against the rest of the field this season, going 1-2 against CUI.
Pool A: Tampa (1), Spring Hill (8), Carson Newman (9), McKendree (16)
Pool B: CUI (2), Tusculum (7), Florida Southern (10), Catawba (15)
Pool C: Colorado Mesa (3), Palm Beach Atlantic (6), Eckerd (11), Emmanuel (14)
Pool D: Saint Leo (4), Texas A&M-Kingsville (5), Erskine (12), Wayne State (13)
Series Histories
The Mavs have a 1-2 combined record against their Pool C opponents in program history.
They are 1-0 against Eckerd, having defeated the Tritons by a 3-2 score at the 2019 AVCA Small College Beach Championships. They are 0-2 against Palm Beach Atlantic, having dropped 2021 and 2022 decisions at the national tournament to the Sailfish. The 3-2 loss to the Sailfish in 2022 came in pool play and was CMU's only one during their title-winning run.
