For the first time in ACU history, the Wildcats took to the sand and snagged their first ever beach volleyball victory.
The junior duo Jacey Smith and Kendall Bosse stole the win against San Jose State’s Nandyala Gama and Lyndi, 21-15, 21-12, as well as overcoming Benedictine’s Kat McCullough and Jackie Woods, 21-15, 21-12.
“It was an exciting moment when they clinched that first ever win for our program,” head coach Angela Mooney said. “They really did a great job competing against our competitions’ first pairs the entire tournament weekend. I believe their win gave our players a confidence needed to move forward with the rest of our competitions.”
Coming from down in the set, Brooke Riley and Lauren Walker also stole a win over Benedictine over Caitlan Sammons and Sydney Nelson, 16-21, 21-10, 15-14. But Benedictine won the other three matches to preserve the team victory 3-2 over ACU.
“Overall our staff and team felt really pleased with the play over the weekend,” Mooney said. “With each match, we gained more confidence and were able to really figure some things out for ourselves.”
The team went 0-4 in the tournament, coming just one game shy against Benedictine, falling 4-1 to San Jose State and getting swept by SJSU and Arizona, one of the top beach programs in the country.
Mooney said moving forward, the team will train with the entire roster of 19, and there is possibility for change in the travel roster for the upcoming Grand Canyon tournament.
“As we grow and develop as a team, the lineup could change from one weekend to the next,” Mooney said. “In all honesty, it is our hope multiple players will start emerging and bring a bigger since of competition within our own group.”
ACU will return to action next weekend against the likes of New Mexico, Grossmont College and Grand Canyon University.
