Greenville, Tennessee. – [SCHEDULE & RESULTS | BRACKET] The 2024 NAIA Women's Beach Volleyball Invitational concluded Saturday with Vanguard (Calif.) defending the invitational title at the Greenville Beach Volleyball Courts in Greenville, Tennessee.
Semifinal 1: Vanguard (California) def. Arizona Christian, 3-2
In the first wave, Maddie Nash and Madison Arnold were in the two positions, and Bailey Coffin and Logan Daniels were in the four positions, giving Vanguard a two point lead and the game moved to the second wave.
Misty McCall and Mia Seepens won first place and added Arizona Christian to the board. He was followed closely by one point with five points, followed by ACU's Amaya Brown and Emily Katzer.
It came down to the positions of three people. The match went into a third set, with Vanguard on the back foot for most of the set until the momentum shifted in Lion's favor. Paige Cutright and Janna Pecil closed out the match with a three-set win, 15-13, and Vanguard advanced to the finals.
All three matches won by Vanguard were decided in three sets.
Vanguard advanced to the invitational final for the third consecutive year looking to defend their title.
Semifinal 2: OUAZ (Arizona State) def. Corban (Oregon State), 3-2
In the first wave, Mattea Wilson and Olivia Anders took two positions, and Sia Marovic and Dayana Raigoza took four positions, giving OUAZ a two-point advantage going into the second wave. .
Cammy Masanda and Sydney Sanford, who were in the five position, were the first team to give Corban points. The Warriors tied the game after Emi Marks and Nicole Buntillan closed out the game at three-man positions.
The result was a 1-1 pair, with Summer Hans and Diana Enriquez rounding out the victory for OUAZ. Hans and Enriquez were the first pair to defeat Corban's Megan Dennis and Emma Bischoff this week.
All five matches ended in two sets.
The Spirit advanced to the finals for the first time in program history and had a chance to win their first title.
Championship: Vanguard (California) def. Uaz (Arizona State), 3-2
In the first wave, Wilson and Anders in two positions and Marovic and Raigoza in four positions once again gave OUAZ a two-point advantage to advance to the second wave.
Vanguard got their first points with wins from Hannah Wilmes and Emma Galloway in the one's position. Paige Cutright and Janna Pecil won 2-0 to tie the score.
After No. 1 and No. 3 finished their matches, No. 5 began the third set. Everyone gathered around Fives Court, with Vanguard's Courtney Hitt and Anna Broadhead facing off against OUAZ's Cheyenne Higgins and Gabriela Corrales. Hitt and Broadhead were on a mission to win the match, holding Higgins and Corrales to nine points in the final set to take the title.
The Lions are the only team to pull off a come-from-behind sweep this week.
This is the second consecutive title for Vanguard.
All tournament teams
Summer Hanks, OUAZ
Misty McCall, Christian, Arizona
Mia Seepens, Christian, Arizona
Olivia Andersch, OUAZ
Diana Enriquez, OUAZ
Emma Galloway, Vanguard
Hannah Willms, Vanguard
Megan Dennis, Corban
Mattea Wilson, OUAZ
Alexis Morris, St. Catherine (California)
pair of the year: Summer Hanks and Diana Enriquez, OUAZ
best player: Misty McCall, Arizona Christian
Coach of the Year: Chris Dorn, Vanguard
