Sand Devils split first two matches of Big 12 Championships

(Photo courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

After a five-hour rain delay in Fort Worth, Texas, No. 12 Arizona State beach volleyball kept its focus, completing a sweep of its rival, the University of Arizona in dominant fashion with a 3-0 win to open the Big 12 Championship play on Thursday.

The Sand Devils (21-13) rode a momentum from strong performances across the board, including a crucial win from top pairing of redshirt juniors Ava Kirunchyk and Samaya Morin to tie the program’s single season win record. The spark faded later in the day as Arizona State fell 3-0 to No. 2 Texas Christian University (27-5), who secured their spot in the championship match.

Heading into its third dual of the season against the team’s rival University of Arizona, the Sand Devils were looking to complete a season sweep in the inaugural Big 12 Beach Volleyball tournament. The Sand Devils managed to do just that, propelling themselves to the next round of the tournament.

During the season, ASU had managed to win its first two duals against its rival Arizona, winning both the previous matchups with a combined score of 9-1. The trend of dominance continued as the Sand Devils swept the sets en route to a first-round victory.

After a lengthy rain delay, the No. 3 pairing of junior Daniella Kensinger and senior Anya Pemberton got things started for Arizona State with a tightly contested 21-18 victory in the first set on court three.

Kensinger and Pemberton left no doubt, securing the Devils’ first point of the dual with a dominant 21-9 victory in the following set.

The Sand Devils No. 5 pairing of junior Arden Besecker and sophomore Ava Haughy was up next, playing out two competitive sets, which resulted in yet another Sun Devil sweep with final scores of 21-19 and 21-17.

It was all up to the Sand Devils No. 1 pairing of Kirunchyk and Morin to close out the first-round dual.

Kirunchyk and Morin, who are 2-1 on the season when paired together, competed in a thrilling first set that saw the duo come out victorious 23-21.

The second set came down to the wire following an ace from Morin, to put the Devils at match point. Following a rally from the Wildcats, Kirunchyk and Morin were close to defeat, going down 23-22.

Despite the setback, the pairing battled back, winning three consecutive points with an outstanding block from Morin being the exclamation point in a dominant opening round victory for Arizona State Beach Volleyball.

The momentum from Arizona State’s match against the Wildcats didn’t carry over into the afternoon matchup against Big 12 powerhouse TCU. The Horned Frogs, ranked No. 1 in the tournament and No. 2 in the country, clinched the dual quickly by winning the first three matches in straight sets.

The closest match was on court two, where McElroy and Williamson battled hard in the first set before dropping it 24-22 to the Horned Frogs. TCU played a relentless second set defeating the Sand Devils 21-13.

Clement and Whitmarsh fought hard as a pair on court four but could not overpower the pair of Khmil and Vergara from TCU. The pair would not let up, beating the Sand Devils in straight sets with a score of 21-10 in the first set, followed by 21-12 in the second set.

Starting late on court one due to back to back duals, Morin and Kirunchyk picked up early points in the first set against the Horned Frogs but could not recover once the pair of Alvarez and Moreno picked up the lead. TCU took the first set against the Sand Devils 21-15 and clinched the win over Arizona State with a 21-13 second set.

While Kesninger and Pemberton had a 5-4 lead on one of the two of the remaining courts when the match was called, those results went unfinished due to TCU securing the sweep.

The Horned Frogs power proved to be too much across the board, handing the Sand Devils their first postseason loss of the tournament.

Arizona State tied the program’s single-season record with its 21st victory, matching their total wins from the 2024 and 2019 seasons. A win in Friday morning’s elimination match would give ASU a new program record.

Next up Arizona State will have one more chance to secure a spot in the championship match. The Sand Devils will face No. 4 Utah in a Friday morning elimination dual. The winner of that match will meet TCU in the Big 12 title dual. Both duals will be livestreamed on ESPN+.