MESA, Ariz. – [BOX SCORE] No. 7 Arizona Christian outlasted No. 6 New College of Florida 3-2 in NAIA Beach Volleyball pool play on April 24, clinching the dual with three hard-earned points across a match that swung back and forth from the opening wave through the final pair.
With the format sending Pairs 2 and 4 onto the sand first, New College of Florida struck quickly and put Arizona Christian under immediate pressure. In Pair 2, Kayla Gentry and Jayden Ponsford delivered a dominant start for NCF, rolling past Jaiden Zeis and Abby Siebert 21-7, 21-19 to give the Mighty Banyans the first point of the dual. Moments later, NCF doubled the advantage in Pair 4 as Camilla Vaerini and Soroya Nacero controlled the match against Haley Tedrow and Jasmin Joesph, winning 21-14, 21-11 and pushing New College in front 2-0.
Arizona Christian needed a response when the remaining three pairs began at the conclusion of the first wave, and the Firestorm answered with composure. In Pair 3, Abby Nelson and Alyssa Robles steadied the dual, edging Alba Romanos Gracia and Jayleen Santiago 21-19 in the opening set before pulling away 21-13 in the second to put ACU on the board and cut the deficit to 2-1.
That set the stage for the back end of the lineup, where Arizona Christian flipped the match with two three-set wins. Pair 5 provided the equalizer as Kapri Espnosa and Lilly Petersen battled Mariana Saba and Malu Barreis through momentum swings, taking the first set 21-17, dropping the second 13-21, then closing confidently in the third 15-11 to level the dual at 2-2.
With everything riding on the top court, Pair 1 delivered the decider in dramatic fashion. Emee Fellens and Emily Casner recovered from a tight first-set loss to Cassidy Casey and Olivia Fenstermaker, 22-24, by answering with a 21-16 second set and then surviving a tense finish in the third, 17-15. The comeback sealed the 3-2 victory for Arizona Christian and completed a reverse sweep after New College of Florida had seized the early 2-0 lead.
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