MESA, Ariz.— The Colorado Mesa University beach volleyball team used its depth to start the 2025 season with a 2-0 record as the Mavericks swept a road doubleheader by identical 4-1 scores over NAIA Benedictine University of Mesa on Thursday here at Gene Autry Park.
 
The Mavericks won in the second, third, fourth and fifth flights in both duals, taking seven of those eight matches in straight sets.
 
The Redhawks, now 2-6 on the season, were able to pull out a tight 3-set win in the No. 1 match of both duals.
 
CMU used the same lineup in both duals as the pairs of Riley Daugherty/Lizzy Hood, Barett Nolan/Ania Swartzendruber, Jessica Passi/Taylor Scherff and Izzy Burns/Lucy Kaufman all went 2-0.
 
Nolan and Swartzendruber, playing at No. 3, provided the dual clinching point in both duals, defeating Megan Hicks and Daisy Motes in both match-ups.  The Maverick duo took the first match 21-10, 21-13 and were victorious in the second by 21-15, 21-10 scores.
 
Swartzendruber, a sophomore who joined the Maverick squad last January, recorded her first official dual meet wins after being outside of the top five pairs last year.
 
Daugherty and Hood bested Annika Wallace and Amaya Evans by a 21-14, 21-13 margin in the morning match and took care of business in a big way in the afternoon, claiming a 21-12, 21-4 win.
 
At No. 4, Passi and Scherff were 21-16, 21-14 winners over Anna Brytkowska and Nichole Gary in the morning.  The Maverick duo then defeated their Redhawk counterparts by a 21-16, 21-15 scoreline in the second dual.  Passi was also in the official CMU lineup for the first time in her CMU career.
 
Meanwhile, CMU's fifth pair of Burns and Kaufman defeated Benedictine Mesa's Ella Burton and Sophie Drollinger by a 21-9, 21-8 margin in the morning but had to fight harder to pull out a come-from-behind 15-21, 21-8, 15-5 3-set victory in the afternoon match against the Redhawks' Haley Lopez and Vivianna Galvan.
 
Kylie Bartel and Taylor Erickson won both points for Benedictine Mesa at No. 1.  The Redhawk duo registered a 18-21, 21-18, 17-15 thriller over CMU freshman Ellie Ask and Gracyn Spresser in the morning match.  Bartel and Erickson then capped the dual with another 20-22, 21-15, 16-14 win over Ask and Spresser in the afternoon.
 
The teams split a pair of exhibition 6's matches with CMU's Emerson Deferme and Sofia Kolbe, winning 21-16, 21-14 over Burton and Drollinger in the morning.  The Redhawks then switched their fifth and extra pair for the afternoon match as Lopes and Galvin were able to defeat Deferme and Kolbe in three sets (17-21, 22-20, 15-10).
 
CMU will be off on Friday before playing four weekend matches at the Grand Canyon University Tournament in nearby Phoenix.  The Mavs will play three of those matches on Saturday, taking on NAIA No. 1 Ottawa (Ariz.) NAIA No. 4 Arizona Christian University and NCAA Division I foe Saint Mary's.

Dual #1 - Colorado Mesa 4, Benedictine Mesa 1

1. Kylie Bartel/Taylor Erickson (BENMESA) def. Ellie Ask/Gracyn Spresser (CMU-BVB) 18-21, 21-18, 17-15
2. Riley Daugherty/Lizzy Hood (CMU-BVB) def. Annika Wallace/Amaya Evans (BENMESA) 21-14, 21-13
3. Barett Nolan/Ania Swartzendruber (CMU-BVB) def. Megan Hicks/Daisy Motes (BENMESA) 21-15, 21-10
4. Jessica Passi/Taylor Scherff (CMU-BVB) def. Anna Brytkowska/Nichole Gary (BENMESA) 21-16, 21-14
5. Izzy Burns/Lucy Kaufman (CMU-BVB) def. Ella Burton/Sophie Drollinger (BENMESA) 21-9, 21-8
Ext. Haley Lopez/Vivianna Galvan (BENMESA) def. Emerson Deferme/Sofia Kolbe (CMU-BVB) 17-21, 22-20, 15-10
Match Notes:
Colorado Mesa 1-0
Benedictine Mesa 2-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,4,6,3,5,1);

Dual #2- Colorado Mesa 4, Benedictine Mesa 1

1. Kylie Bartel/Taylor Erickson (BENMESA) def. Ellie Ask/Gracyn Spresser (CMU-BVB) 20-22, 21-15, 16-14
2. Riley Daugherty/Lizzy Hood (CMU-BVB) def. Annika Wallace/Amaya Evans (BENMESA) 21-12, 21-4
3. Barett Nolan/Ania Swartzendruber (CMU-BVB) def. Megan Hicks/Daisy Motes (BENMESA) 21-10, 21-13
4. Jessica Passi/Taylor Scherff (CMU-BVB) def. Anna Brytkowska/Nichole Gary (BENMESA) 21-16, 21-15
5. Izzy Burns/Lucy Kaufman (CMU-BVB) def. Vivianna Galvan/Haley Lopez (BENMESA) 15-21, 21-8, 15-5
Ext. Emerson Deferme/Sofia Kolbe (CMU-BVB) def. Ella Burton/Sophie Drollinger (BENMESA) 21-16, 21-14
Match Notes:
Colorado Mesa 2-0
Benedictine Mesa 2-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,6,4,3,5,1)