Completed Event: Beach Volleyball versus No. 10 Arizona State on April 25, 2025 , Loss , 1, to, 3
Final Score
Beach Volleyball
1
vs No. 10 Arizona State
3
Utah Beach Volleyball Set For 2023 Pac-12 Championships
4/24/2023 9:46 AM | Beach Volleyball
Utes to play Oregon in opening round on Wednesday.
MATCH WEEK
Utah Beach Volleyball is set for the 2023 Pac-12 Championships this week, beginning the conference tournament on Wednesday, Apr. 26. The Utes will take on the Oregon Ducks in the opening round at 9:30 a.m. MT in Palo Alto, Calif., at the home courts of the Stanford Cardinal.
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With a win, Utah would move on to play top-seeded UCLA at 4:30 p.m. MT on Wednesday. If the Utes fall to Oregon, they would move to the contender's bracket and play the loser of second-seeded USC and seventh-seeded Arizona at 6:15 p.m. MT in the double-elimination tournament. All matches of the Pac-12 Championships will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. For the full bracket, click here.
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QUICK HITS
• Utah played 14-straight matches in the state of California in a two-week stretch during March. In its 31 matches in the regular season, Utah played 18 matches in California.
• Utah played eight teams ranked in the top-20 during the season.
• Utah has opened every Pac-12 Championship it has competed in against the Oregon Ducks.
• The past three seasons, the Utes have played Oregon followed by Washington at the Pac-12 Championships.Â
• In 2017 and 2018, Utah opened the conference tournament with a win against Oregon.
• Utah played one home match this season, taking on Salt Lake Community College. The Utes swept the Bruins on senior day as they honored Grace Andrews and Abby Karich, who will be graduating a year early.
• Utah is in its second season with a fully beach-recruited roster.
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AT THE TOP
Sophomore Amaya Messier and freshman Katie McAlister have held down the top spot for the Utes in all but two matches this season and have earned 13 wins on court one, which is the most wins on the team as a pair. The Ute duo earned Utah's sole dual point against UC Davis after taking a competitive three-set win, while they also earned a key win over Santa Clara's top duo to guide the Utes to a 3-2 victory. The top pair for Utah picked up their first Pac-12 victory against Arizona State as well, winning 21-16, 21-17. McAlister and Messier also earned a three-set win (21-23,21-17, 15-11) over Texas' top pair to clinch the 3-2 victory for the Utes. The Ute duo posted a 3-1 weekend in Boise where the pair took both matches against Boise State's top pair, as well as a win over Arizona Christian.
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STEADY AS SONJA Â
Utah's lineup has received a team-high 14 wins from sophomore Sonja Wessel. She has paired up with freshman Savannah Cottam between courts four and five where they have earned 11 wins, while Wessel also teamed up with freshman Azure McOmber seven times and has earned three wins. Wessel and Cottam got off to a hot start after winning four straight matches to start the season, which included Utah's only dual point against Louisiana Monroe in a three-set battle. The pair for Utah clinched the dual match against Santa Clara (3-2) with a 21-19, 21-19 victory to highlight the season. Additionally, Cottam and Wessel earned a hard-fought win over Saint Mary's fifth pairing also in three sets, winning 14-21, 21-17, 15-11, and also picked up a 21-19, 21-17 win against #13 Long Beach State's #4 duo.
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KEEPING UP WITH KYLIE & SYD
Sophomores Kylie Pitzak and Sydney Jacinto are tied for the second-most wins on the team as a pair, collecting 11 wins so far this season. The sophomore pair picked up Utah's only point against Concordia Irvine, as well as against Cal Poly on court four both matches. During the weekend at Boise State, Pitzak and Jacinto went 3-1 after picking up three-straight wins to end the weekend against Arizona Christan, Oregon, and Boise State on court five. Most recently, the duo earned a three-set win over the fifth pair from Ottawa, as well as a quick win on court four against Park University.
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FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Utah's freshmen have come in and made immediate impacts, starting with Katie McAlister in the top position this year. McAlister has played all but one match on the top court for the Utes in her first season and is second on the team with 13 wins this season. Savannah Cottam, a freshman from Salt Lake City, has stepped in the lineup between courts four and five, and has posted 11 wins this year. Chloe Narancich and Azure McOmber have also contributed more and more as the season has gone on. Narancich has paired primarily with returner and team captain Grace Andrews betweens courts one, two, and three. McOmber has seen playing time with Sonja Wessel as of late on courts four and five as well.
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RETURNING & LEADING
Utah's young lineup features numerous sophomores tasked with leading the team. Amaya Messier sits on court one with her freshman partner, while Bella Vezzani has been a mainstay on court two as the season winds down. After gaining tremendous experience last year as freshmen, Messier and Vezzani continued the momentum and have earned 13 and 10 wins, respectively, on the top courts to lead the lineup. Sydney Jacinto and Kylie Pitzak have also thrived in their sophomore seasons, while juniors Grace Andrews, Marissa Koch, and indoor Utah Volleyball player Abby Karich have also been crucial to the team's success.
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Utah Beach Volleyball is set for the 2023 Pac-12 Championships this week, beginning the conference tournament on Wednesday, Apr. 26. The Utes will take on the Oregon Ducks in the opening round at 9:30 a.m. MT in Palo Alto, Calif., at the home courts of the Stanford Cardinal.
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With a win, Utah would move on to play top-seeded UCLA at 4:30 p.m. MT on Wednesday. If the Utes fall to Oregon, they would move to the contender's bracket and play the loser of second-seeded USC and seventh-seeded Arizona at 6:15 p.m. MT in the double-elimination tournament. All matches of the Pac-12 Championships will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. For the full bracket, click here.
Â
QUICK HITS
• Utah played 14-straight matches in the state of California in a two-week stretch during March. In its 31 matches in the regular season, Utah played 18 matches in California.
• Utah played eight teams ranked in the top-20 during the season.
• Utah has opened every Pac-12 Championship it has competed in against the Oregon Ducks.
• The past three seasons, the Utes have played Oregon followed by Washington at the Pac-12 Championships.Â
• In 2017 and 2018, Utah opened the conference tournament with a win against Oregon.
• Utah played one home match this season, taking on Salt Lake Community College. The Utes swept the Bruins on senior day as they honored Grace Andrews and Abby Karich, who will be graduating a year early.
• Utah is in its second season with a fully beach-recruited roster.
Â
AT THE TOP
Sophomore Amaya Messier and freshman Katie McAlister have held down the top spot for the Utes in all but two matches this season and have earned 13 wins on court one, which is the most wins on the team as a pair. The Ute duo earned Utah's sole dual point against UC Davis after taking a competitive three-set win, while they also earned a key win over Santa Clara's top duo to guide the Utes to a 3-2 victory. The top pair for Utah picked up their first Pac-12 victory against Arizona State as well, winning 21-16, 21-17. McAlister and Messier also earned a three-set win (21-23,21-17, 15-11) over Texas' top pair to clinch the 3-2 victory for the Utes. The Ute duo posted a 3-1 weekend in Boise where the pair took both matches against Boise State's top pair, as well as a win over Arizona Christian.
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STEADY AS SONJA Â
Utah's lineup has received a team-high 14 wins from sophomore Sonja Wessel. She has paired up with freshman Savannah Cottam between courts four and five where they have earned 11 wins, while Wessel also teamed up with freshman Azure McOmber seven times and has earned three wins. Wessel and Cottam got off to a hot start after winning four straight matches to start the season, which included Utah's only dual point against Louisiana Monroe in a three-set battle. The pair for Utah clinched the dual match against Santa Clara (3-2) with a 21-19, 21-19 victory to highlight the season. Additionally, Cottam and Wessel earned a hard-fought win over Saint Mary's fifth pairing also in three sets, winning 14-21, 21-17, 15-11, and also picked up a 21-19, 21-17 win against #13 Long Beach State's #4 duo.
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KEEPING UP WITH KYLIE & SYD
Sophomores Kylie Pitzak and Sydney Jacinto are tied for the second-most wins on the team as a pair, collecting 11 wins so far this season. The sophomore pair picked up Utah's only point against Concordia Irvine, as well as against Cal Poly on court four both matches. During the weekend at Boise State, Pitzak and Jacinto went 3-1 after picking up three-straight wins to end the weekend against Arizona Christan, Oregon, and Boise State on court five. Most recently, the duo earned a three-set win over the fifth pair from Ottawa, as well as a quick win on court four against Park University.
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FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Utah's freshmen have come in and made immediate impacts, starting with Katie McAlister in the top position this year. McAlister has played all but one match on the top court for the Utes in her first season and is second on the team with 13 wins this season. Savannah Cottam, a freshman from Salt Lake City, has stepped in the lineup between courts four and five, and has posted 11 wins this year. Chloe Narancich and Azure McOmber have also contributed more and more as the season has gone on. Narancich has paired primarily with returner and team captain Grace Andrews betweens courts one, two, and three. McOmber has seen playing time with Sonja Wessel as of late on courts four and five as well.
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RETURNING & LEADING
Utah's young lineup features numerous sophomores tasked with leading the team. Amaya Messier sits on court one with her freshman partner, while Bella Vezzani has been a mainstay on court two as the season winds down. After gaining tremendous experience last year as freshmen, Messier and Vezzani continued the momentum and have earned 13 and 10 wins, respectively, on the top courts to lead the lineup. Sydney Jacinto and Kylie Pitzak have also thrived in their sophomore seasons, while juniors Grace Andrews, Marissa Koch, and indoor Utah Volleyball player Abby Karich have also been crucial to the team's success.
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Players Mentioned
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