Utah Beach Volleyball Set For Pac-12 North Invitational

MATCH WEEK
Utah Beach Volleyball returns to Pac-12 play this weekend, competing at the Pac-12 North Invitational in Stanford, Calif. Utah opens the weekend against #13 Washington at 9 a.m. MT this Friday, Apr. 7, before closing out the day against Arizona at 1 p.m. MT. Both matches will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

On Saturday, Apr. 8, the Utes are set to take on Oregon at 9 a.m. MT and #2 USC at 1 p.m. MT. Live stats will be available for the matches against Washington, Arizona, and USC.

 

QUICK HITS

• Utah has added a home match to the 2023 schedule, hosting Salt Lake Community College on Wednesday, Apr. 12, at 1:30 p.m. MT. It is the sole home match of the season for Utah.

• Utah played 14-straight matches in the state of California in a two-week stretch during March.

• Utah has played five teams ranked in the top-20, and have at least three more opponents ranked in the top-20 scheduled to play in the regular season.

• Amaya Messier and Katie McAlister, along with Savannah Cottam and Sonja Wessel lead the team with 10 wins each as a pair. Sydney Jacinto and Kylie Pitzak have totaled nine wins.

• Messier and McAlister have won four of their last six matches, while Pitzak and Jacinto have won three straight.

 

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 10 wins on court one, which is tied for the most wins on the team. 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 is coming off 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.

 

STEADY AS SONJA & SAV

Utah’s lineup has received 10 wins from the duo of sophomore Sonja Wessel and freshman Savannah Cottam between courts four and five. The pair got off to a hot start after winning four straight matches to start the season, which included…