Devils Open Play at Fight in the Fort; Fall to Cal Poly & Tulane

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Arizona State beach volleyball team (1-4) opened play at the 2018 Fight in the Fort, dropping a pair of matches to No. 8 Cal Poly and No. 18 Tulane, Saturday afternoon. 

The Sand Devils kick started the outing with their second duel of the season with No. 8 Cal Poly, suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Mustangs. Spearheading the Maroon and Gold effort was the standout sophomore duo of Katelyn Carballo and Ellyson Lundberg, who recorded their team-best fourth win of the season as a pair. Their straight-set, 21-17, 21-16, victory over Cal Poly's Rae Griessen and Hannah Hubbard constituted Arizona State's lone duel point of the match, as the Mustangs managed victories on courts one, two, four and five, respectively. 

#8 Cal Poly 4, Arizona State 1
1. Torrey Van Winden/Tia Miric (CPSLO) def. Kwyn Johnson/Mia Rivera (ASU) 21-15, 21-11
2. Emily Sonny/Samantha Manley (CPSLO) def. Kara Woodard/Halle Harker (ASU) 21-7, 21-8
3. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) def. Rae Griesen/Hannah Hubbard (CPSLO) 21-17, 21-16
4. Adlee Van Winden/Taylor Nelson (CPSLO) def. Katie Cross/Cierra Flood (ASU) 21-14, 21-12
5. Heather Pembroke/Macy Gordon (CPSLO) def. Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin (ASU) 17-21, 22-20, 15-11
Ext. Dora Beilin/Brayden Gruenewald (CPSLO) def. Frances Giedraitis/Natalie Braun (ASU) 21-17, 21-15
Match Notes: Order of finish: Doubles (5,4,1,3,2)

Arizona State then capped the afternoon with a 5-0 loss to No. 18 Tulane. Arizona State's freshmen 4s pair of Samantha Plaster and Kate Baldwin kept it close on court five, before ultimately falling in three sets (12-21, 21-17, 12-15) to Tulane's Anna Chin and Gabriella Becerra.

#18 Tulane 5, Arizona State 0
1. Madeline Mertz/Kaylie McHugh (TUL) def. Kwin Johnson/Mia Rivera (ASU) 21-19, 21-15
2. Tairn Mergener/Ashley Delgado (TUL) def. Frances Giedraitis/Natalie Braun (ASU) 21-16, 21-18
3. Lan Nguyen/Rio Frohoff (TUL) def. Katelyn Carballo/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) 21-15, 12-21, 15-12
4. Anna Chin/Gabriella Becerra (TUL) def. Samantha Plaster/Kate Baldwin (ASU) 21-13, 17-21, 15-10
5. Breana Correa/Lauren Orlich (TUL) def. Katie Cross/Cierra Flood (ASU) 21-11, 21-17
Ext. Kendyl Brennan/Carleigh Semeniuk (TUL) def. Kara Woodard/Halle Harker (ASU) 19-21, 21-19, 15-10
Match Notes: Order of finish: Doubles (2,4,1,5,3)

Up next, the Sand Devil will round out play at the 2018 Fight in the Fort Sunday, slated to take on tournament host Texas Christian at 11 a.m. MST.