University of Washington
New Mexico
Huskies Earn A Split In Beach Season Opener
April 10, 2016 | Beach Volleyball
SEATTLE – Washington headed to California to begin its 2016 beach volleyball season, but found itself leaving the sun of the Northwest for a day of nonstop rain in Folsom, Calif. outside Sacramento. Despite the inhospitable weather, the Huskies powered through a pair of matches, dropping their morning opener to a talented New Mexico squad before fighting back for a victory in their second match over Cal State Bakersfield.
First year Head Coach Jonathan Winder said the Huskies showed a few nerves at the start of their first match against a Lobos squad that had played sixteen matches coming into today, and was ranked 15th nationally in the DiG Magazine poll. New Mexico had two wins over Arizona State and a win over California, with three of four losses coming to top-10 teams.
The Lobos won all five matches against the Huskies, but four sets were decided by just two points, with three going to extra points, and three more were within three or four points, all going New Mexico's way. The Huskies nearly got the win at the No. 5 spot, as the freshmen team of Destiny Julye and Lindsay Chalmers won the first set, 21-15, and went to extra points in the second set, but the Lobo team pulled it out, 23-21, and then took control of the third set, winning 15-4.
The No. 1 match was also decided by the slimmest of margins in each set, as Crissy Jones and Tia Scambray were edged 25-23, 23-21 by New Mexico's Ashley Kelsey and Cassie House.
“New Mexico has played a lot of beach, they have six or more beach players that train year-round and so we hung with them all the way up to the end in almost every set,” said Winder. “It was just a few points here or there that ended up making the difference.”
Washington went straight into the second match, taking on Cal State Bakersfield, another team with several weeks of match play under its belt. But this time the Huskies picked up the early momentum as the four and five teams opened with wins. Julye and Chalmers earned the first wins of their careers with a 21-18, 21-17 win over Kayla Tinker and Ally Barber. Melanie Wade and Justice Magraw overcame Amanda Schoene and Kortney Freeland, 21-17, 21-12 at four.
Washington clinched the match at No. 3, as Lianna Sybeldon and Bailey Tanner came through in three sets, topping Cal State Bakersfield's Sophie Flemion and Kelsee Sawyer, 21-13, 16-21, 15-12.
Cassie Strickland and Courtney Schwan also had a three set victory at the No. 2 spot, coming back from an 18-21 first set loss to the tandem of Urias/Rodriguez with a 21-14 second set win and a 15-7 victory in the third. The No. 1 match went to Jones and Scambray, who were 21-18, 21-17 winners over Sydney Haynes and Carol Grasso.
Winder said the Husky serve-and-pass game improved in the match with the Roadrunners. “Serving and passing is always the difference, and against Bakersfield we put ourselves in some good situations and were able to capitalize on them. Against New Mexico we were just a little more inconsistent with our serving and passing.
“It would have been nice if the matches were flipped, because just to have played one more match would have helped us out against New Mexico, but it was great to see the team's toughness to come back out with no break and get the win.”
The Huskies will have another match tomorrow morning against Sacramento State to close out its first weekend.
Washington Beach Volleyball
April 9, 2016
Folsom, Calif. – Livermore Community Park
Match 1: New Mexico def. Washington, 5-0
1. Kelsey/House (UNM) def. Jones/Scambray (UW), 25-23, 23-21
2. Sours/Rugland (UNM) def. Strickland/Schwan (UW), 21-16, 21-19
3. Warren/Johnson (UNM) def. Tanner/Sybeldon (UW), 21-18, 21-17
4. Baleto/Doran (UNM) def. Wade/Magraw (UW), 21-18, 21-13
5. Heilborn/Mayfield (UNM) def. Julye/Chalmers (UW), 15-21, 23-21, 15-4
Exh. Askew/Crappell (UNM) def. Wade/Finau (UW), 9-21, 21-19, 18-16
Match 2: Washington def. Cal State Bakersfield, 5-0
1. Jones/Scambray (UW) def. Haynes/Grasso (CSUB), 21-18, 21-17
2. Strickland/Schwan (UW) def. Urias/Rodriguez (CSUB), 18-21, 21-14, 15-7
3. Tanner/Sybeldon (UW) def. Flemion/Sawyer (CSUB), 21-13, 16-21, 15-12
4. Wade/Magraw (UW) def. Schoene/Freeland (CSUB), 21-17, 21-12
5. Julye/Chalmers (UW) def. Tinker/Barber (CSUB), 21-18, 21-17
