Season Starts With Positive Split Against Ranked Foes

Friday, March 2

Tucson, AZ

1:00 PM

University of Washington

Loyola Marymount

March 02, 2018 | Beach Volleyball

By: UW Athletic Communications

TUCSON, Ariz. – During the course of shorter-than-average seasons in 2016 and 2017, the Washington Beach Volleyball Team has improved at rapid rates to finish strong. The 2018 season is the first chance for the Dawgs to play a full schedule, and while they will look to once again peak as the season progresses, Washington had a lot to like about its starting point today in Tucson.

The 19th-ranked Huskies played two top-20 teams in matches that went down to the final court, starting with a 3-2 victory over 20th-ranked Loyola Marymount and followed by a 2-3 loss to 10th-ranked Arizona on the Wildcats' home courts.

First-year Head Coach Steve Whitaker was pleased with where the Dawgs showed they were starting today.

"We put ourselves in a really good position to win matches, so that's exactly what any coach wants," he said. "To have it come down to that fifth match against good competition, we're in a good spot. I'm pretty happy with it."

Match 1

The Dawgs opened up this afternoon against the 20th-ranked Lions of LMU, who were off to a 2-0 start on the year. The Huskies dropped the matches at No. 4 and No. 5 to start off in an 0-2 hole, but as the top three matches all took the courts at the same time, the Huskies found their footing and began to climb back, eventually overtaking LMU, 3-2, with a close win in the No. 1 match.

With a 2-2 score and the dual in the balance, senior transfers Jordan Anderson and Kimmy Gardiner came up big in their first ever matches as Huskies, holding off LMU's Savannah Slattery and McKayla Ferris in three sets, 21-19, 20-22, 15-12, in the top spot.

"It was pretty cool to see the girls compete against LMU," said Whitaker. "They are no slouch of a team and were pretty strong at every position. Their fours and fives were really strong. Then we had close matches at one, two, and three, but it all came down to the Ones and that was a pretty fun match to end on. Jordan and Kimmy played out of their minds and our Twos and Threes set it up for them."

Anderson and Gardiner's win was the third in a row for the Dawgs. The first win came at the No. 3 spot as senior Carly DeHoog and sophomore Shayne McPherson topped Whiftord/Reinig in straight sets, 21-14, 21-18. Senior Courtney Schwan and junior Destiny Julye then leveled the match at 2-2 with a win at the No. 2 spot, 21-10, 21-19, over Veronica Nederend and Maddie Leiphardt.

Loyola Marymount got the first two wins of the dual. Senior Anna Crabtree and freshman Natalie Robinson dropped a 21-12, 21-9 decision at the No. 4 spot to LMU's Kovac/Prichard and redshirt frosh Kara Bajema and true frosh Chloe Newton lost at No. 5, 21-11, 21-13, to Bozena Culo and Emma Doud.

Match 2

The second match of the day gave the Dawgs a chance at another big ranked win, against 10th-ranked Arizona which came in with a 4-0 record. Again the match hinged on one final third set, but this time it was the opposition finishing it off.

The decisive No. 3 match was a see-saw with Arizona's Mason and Burling controlling the first set, 21-17, over DeHoog and McPherson. But the Huskies answered right back with a decisive second set win of their own, taking it 21-11 to force a third. But the Arizona pair jumped back in front early and pulled away for a 15-5 win to clinch the 3-2 win for UA.

Arizona had the first point with a 21-15, 21-18 win at No. 4, with Baham/Devlin holding off Crabtree and Robinson. UW responded with a win at No. 5, as Bajema teamed up with freshman Emma Calle for a 21-18, 21-13 win over Martin/Cordes.

Arizona went back ahead, 2-1, with a win at the top spot. Anderson and Gardiner couldn't quite force a third set against Natalie Anselmo and Olivia Macdonald, falling 21-12, 21-16. But Schwan and Julye answered back with a 21-16, 21-18 win at No. 2 against Kacey Nady and Olivia Hallaran to tie things up.

Of the deciding point, Whitaker said, "Arizona jumped out to a pretty fast lead in the third set so it was hard to come back, but overall I was pretty proud of Carly and Shayne for responding after that first set."

"D.J. and Courtney won a fairly decisive first set and then were behind the whole second set but came back and won it, so that was a pretty exciting match to be part of," said Whitaker. "Arizona's No. 1 was pretty darn good. I think we could come back around the next time we get them and play them tougher but they were on their game."

Washington will have another tough dual early Saturday morning against a New Mexico squad that received votes in the current AVCA coaches poll.

Washington Beach Volleyball
March 2, 2018 – Tucson, Ariz.
Jimenez Field

Match 1

#19 Washington – 3
#20 Loyola Marymount - 2

1. Anderson/Gardiner (Wash) def. Slattery/Ferris (LMU), 21-19, 20-22, 15-12
2. Schwan/Julye (Wash) def. Nederend/Leiphardt (LMU), 21-10, 21-19
3. DeHoog/McPherson (Wash) def. Whitford/Reinig (LMU), 21-14, 21-18
4. Kovac/Prichard (LMU) def. Crabtree/Robinson (Wash), 21-12, 21-9
5. Culo/Doud (LMU) def. Bajema/Newton (Wash), 21-11, 21-13
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1*

Match 2

#10 Arizona - 3
#19 Washington – 2

1. Anselmo/Macdonald (Ariz) def. Anderson/Gardiner (Wash), 21-12, 21-16
2. Schwan/Julye (Wash) def. Nady/Hallaran (Ariz), 21-16, 21-18
3. Mason/Burling (Ariz) def. DeHoog/McPherson (Wash), 21-7, 11-21, 15-5
4. Baham/Devlin (Ariz) def. Crabtree/Robinson (Wash), 21-15, 21-18
5. Bajema/Calle (Wash) def. Martin/Cordes (Ariz), 21-18, 21-13
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3*