GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University beach volleyball team has returned home and will host pair of tri-duals this weekend at the CMU Beach Courts.
The Mavs will take on both Emmanuel University from Franklin Springs, Georgia and Trinidad State College from Trinidad, Colorado on both Friday and Saturday as they get a rare opportunity to play home matches.
Weekend Schedule
Action will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday. There will be six total duals during the weekend with three on each day. The Mavs will play in four of them, twice on each day.
Each day's action will be contested on a rolling schedule, although no dual will start more than 30 minutes earlier than the designated times listed below.
Friday, March 28
11 a.m.- Colorado Mesa vs Trinidad State
1 p.m.*- Emmanuel vs. Trinidad State
3 p.m.*- Colorado Mesa vs. Emmanuel
Saturday, March 29
10 a.m.—Emmanuel vs. Trinidad State
Noon*- Colorado Mesa vs. Trinidad State
2 p.m.*- Colorado Mesa vs Emmanuel
*-Rolling Schedule; Maximum 30 minutes ahead of schedule
Senior Day
In between the Mavs' two Saturday matches, the Mavericks will hold a Senior Day recognition, honoring seven players, who will be playing in their final home matches this weekend.
That list of seniors and redshirt juniors who are planning not to return in 2026 after graduation include
Izzy Burns,
Riley Daugherty,
Lizzy Hood,
Lucy Kaufman,
Barett Nolan,
Taylor Scherff and
Gracyn Spresser.
Last Times Out
The Mavericks wrapped up their Spring Break last weekend in Tucson, Arizona, playing three matches in the Arizona Invitational at the Wildcats' Bear Down Beach. The Mavs went 1-2, falling 3-2 to UTEP and 5-0 to host Arizona before bouncing back for a 3-2 win over Central Arkansas on Saturday.
Complete recaps of both days of action can be found below. Those matches came after the Mavs had played in a pair of tri-duals in southern California last Tuesday and Wednesday.
All five
All five of the Mavericks' pairs won at least one match during the Arizona Invitational while the No. 4 duo of
Jessica Passi and
Taylor Scherff won two, claiming wins against both UTEP and Central Arkansas.
Passi and Scherff also helped led the Mavs on the Spring Break trip as a whole, winning three times.
They are now 12-7 on the season.
Four to Ten
Four different Maverick pairs have now reached double figures for wins as the No. 1 duo of
Ellie Ask and
Gracyn Spresser claimed their tenth win of the season on Saturday in the 3-2 Mav win over Central Arkansas. They delivered the dual clinching point with a 21-19, 21-16 win over the Bears' Anna Linskey and Riley Melton.
Ask & Spresser are now 10-8 together in the top flight this season.
Co-Leading Pairs
The Mavs' traditional No. 2 and 3 pairs are now both 13-6 on the season.
Riley Daugherty and
Lizzy Hood got out to a 12-0 start but went 1-6 last week. They did play in the No. 1 position in the dual against Arizona as
Ellie Ask teamed with
Brooke Hartman at No. 2 in that match.
Meanwhile, the Mavs' No. 3 duo of
Barett Nolan and
Ania Swartzendruber recorded three wins last week to join Daugherty and Hood on 13 wins.
Coaching Staff
David Skaff, the only head coach in the Mavs' beach volleyball history, is in his tenth season in charge of the Maverick program. He is in his 18
th year overall as a CMU Coach, having served as a long-time assistant coach for the Mavs' indoor program before going full time to the beach program, starting in 2023.
Skaff has led the Mavericks to three straight top-3 finishes at the AVCA Small College Beach Championships, including a 2022 title.
His teams have combined for 88 wins, 65 of which have come in the last three years and the start of this year alone.
The program has also received the AVCA Team Academic Award seven times, including each of the last six.
Ara "Bob" Norwood also returns for her third season as the Mavs' assistant coach after a standout indoor and beach playing career with the Mavs.
Perfect at home
After sweeping a doubleheader over Central Wyoming earlier this month (Mar. 8), in their only previous home matches of the season, the Mavericks are now a perfect 21-0 in home duals in program's 10-year history, a run they hope to continue this weekend on home sand.
Seven of those 21 wins have come against Trinidad State The Mavs defeated the Trojans three times last season as part of a 5-0 home season.
The Mavs have also defeated Utah four times and went 4-0 at home in 2023 with a pair of wins over Texas A&M-Kingsville and two over Trinidad State. They have also defeated Colorado Northwestern Community College twice. Their other two home wins came over Salt Lake Community College (2022) and Colorado College's club team (2018).
Know Your Foes
Emmanuel University
The Lions will bring a 10-11 overall record into the weekend. The Lions are members of Conference Carolinas and went 0-6 at last weekend's Mercer Tournament against Division in Macon, Georgia. Then then split a pair of home duals in Frankin Springs, Georgia on Wednesday, defeating LaGrange by a 4-1 score before falling to Erskine by the same margin.
Lion No. 1 duo Izabela Zukowska and Ellie Jackson won both of their matches on Wednesday.
The Lions first played beach volleyball last year and went 11-20.
Trinidad State
The Trojans' website shows they have a 2-8 record although several scores from earlier this season have not been posted. They tied for seventh at last year's NJCAA Championship.
Series Histories
The Mavs are a combined 8-0 all-time against this weekend's opponents and not lost a single match in those eight duals.
The Mavs played Emmanuel for the first and so far only time on Apr. 12 of last season during the pool play portion of the AVCA Small College Beach Championships in Tavares, Florida. The Mavericks won that match 3-0 en route to a third place national tournament finish.
The Mavericks are 7-0 against Trinidad State over the past three years and have won all of those duals by a 5-0 score.
Up Next
The Mavs are slated to host an intrasquad scrimmage next weekend before heading to Boise, Idaho for the Apr. 11-12 Boise State Classic, where they will play four matches against the hosts, Portland, Saint Mary's and CSU Bakersfield.
