Avondale, Ariz. — The top-ranked OUAZ Beach Volleyball team continued its strong run through GSAC play on Saturday, earning a pair of home conference victories at the Avondale Sports Complex. The Spirit first defeated Arizona Christian 4-1 before closing the day with another 4-1 win over No. 10 Benedictine Mesa.
OUAZ opened the day against Arizona Christian in a competitive dual that saw several tightly contested sets. Eliana Dean and Maya Blake secured the point in the No. 1 flight with a 22-20, 21-17 victory. Olga Romero and Shea Marovich followed with a strong performance in the No. 2 flight, winning 24-22, 21-13. Katy Shockey and Alicia Romero added another straight-set win in the No. 4 flight, defeating Abby Siebert and Haley Tedrow 22-20, 21-14.
The No. 5 pairing of Mariella Ramos and Gabriela Corrales battled through three sets to earn the fourth point for the Spirit. After taking the opening set 21-11, the duo dropped the second before responding with a decisive 15-6 third-set win. Arizona Christian picked up its lone point in the No. 3 flight.
In the second match of the day, OUAZ faced No. 10 Benedictine Mesa and once again secured a 4-1 team victory. Dean and Blake led the way in the top flight with a 21-17, 21-15 win. Shayna Martinez and Railey Dykstra earned a three-set victory in the No. 3 flight, winning 21-16, 19-21, 15-10, while Shockey and Alicia Romero added another three-set win in the No. 4 flight with a 21-14, 12-21, 15-11 result.
Ramos and Corrales delivered a strong straight-set performance in the No. 5 flight, defeating Bailey Prieto and Adina Ortiz 21-8, 21-19 to help seal the win for the Spirit.
With the two conference victories, OUAZ continues to build momentum as the nation's top-ranked team. The Spirit will return to action on Thursday, March 18, traveling to Huntington Beach where they will face La Sierra and No. 3 The Master's.