Utah Beach Volleyball Set For 2023 Pac-12 Championships

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.
 
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.
 
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. 
• 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.
 
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.
 
STEADY AS…