Mesa, Ariz. — The No. 4 OUAZ Beach Volleyball team opened play at the NAIA National Invitational Tournament with an impressive 2-0 day in pool play at the Arizona Athletic Grounds, earning a 3-2 win over No. 8 Wayland Baptist before sweeping No. 5 Ave Maria 5-0.
The Spirit began the day with a tightly contested matchup against Wayland Baptist that came down to the final flight. Eliana Dean and Maya Blake delivered in the clutch at the No. 1 position, outlasting their opponents in a three-set battle, 28-26, 17-21, 15-8, to secure the team victory. Shea Marovich and Alexia Luengo contributed an important straight-set win in the No. 4 flight (21-18, 21-19), while Mariella Ramos and Gabriela Corrales added another point with a 21-17, 21-13 victory in the No. 5 spot.
After edging out the opening dual, OUAZ returned to the sand for a dominant performance against No. 5 Ave Maria. The Spirit swept all five flights, showcasing their depth against another top-five opponent. Dean and Blake set the tone with a 21-16, 21-11 win in the No. 1 flight, while Olga Romero and Shayna Martinez followed with a 22-20, 21-10 victory at No. 2.
OUAZ continued to roll as Alicia Romero and Katy Shockey battled back from a first-set loss to win in three sets at No. 3 (12-21, 21-11, 15-12), and Marovich and Luengo added another three-set victory at No. 4 (15-21, 21-12, 17-15). Ramos and Corrales closed out the sweep in dominant fashion with a 21-13, 21-5 win in the No. 5 flight.
With the two wins, OUAZ improves to 2-0 in pool play and will face No. 1 Southern Oregon on Friday at 10 a.m. at the Arizona Athletic Grounds. The result of that match will determine seeding for the bracket, with the Spirit advancing to either the 2:30 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. quarterfinal match later in the day.
