TUCSON -- Arizona State beach volleyball's No. 1s senior duo of Bianca Arellano and Whitney Follette battled but fell short to USC's Sophie Bukovec and Allie Wheeler in the Pac-12 Championships Pairs quarterfinals Saturday morning.
The No. 3-seeded Arellano and Follette showed grit in the outing, one that can only be best described as a war of attrition. After earning a 21-19, first set victory Arellano and Follette could not withstand a surge on part of the No. 6-seeded Wheeler and Bukovec who rallied to garner a 21-19, second set win. The pairs traded punches throughout the deciding third set, that saw Arellano and Follette at one point lead, 14-12. The Trojan's ultimately prevailed earning a 16-14 third set win, by virtue of a 6-0 rally.
The outing places a cap on the prolific and curtain call worthy collegiate careers of Arellano and Follette. Charter members of the program, the duo has played a pivotal role in the evolution and growth of the program at Arizona State.
Follette closes the door on her Sand Devil stint as the winningest player in program history with 61 career victories to her credit, while Arellano concludes her respective career in second with an exceptional 59-win tally.
The duo also finishes as the winningest pairing in program history, boasting a combined 41 wins, dating back to the 2016 season. Named to the inaugural All-Pac-12 First Team while also being selected to the first ever Pac-12 All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the 2016 season, the pair has posted program-best win totals in consecutive seasons, recording 18 and 23 victories, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Arizona State collectively wraps up the 2017 campaign with 16 victories, its most in program history, having now earned double-digit win totals in consecutive seasons. Under the direction of first-year head coach Brad Keenan, the Sand Devils notched two ranked victories on the season, most notably knocking off then No. 6 Arizona, 3-2 in Tucson on Mar. 4. The Sand Devils also garnered national recognition cracking the AVCA collegiate volleyball poll for the first time in team history, appearing in the rankings for five consecutive weeks.
Arizona State Results
First Round
#6 Bukovec/Wheeler, USC def. #11 Berridge/Okaro, ASU, 21-16, 26-24
#3 Arellano/Follette, ASU def. #14 Vander Weide/Van Sickle, ORE, 21-13, 21-19
#6 Bukovec/Wheeler, USC def. #3 Arellano/Follette, ASU, 19-21, 21-19, 16-14
The No. 3-seeded Arellano and Follette showed grit in the outing, one that can only be best described as a war of attrition. After earning a 21-19, first set victory Arellano and Follette could not withstand a surge on part of the No. 6-seeded Wheeler and Bukovec who rallied to garner a 21-19, second set win. The pairs traded punches throughout the deciding third set, that saw Arellano and Follette at one point lead, 14-12. The Trojan's ultimately prevailed earning a 16-14 third set win, by virtue of a 6-0 rally.
The outing places a cap on the prolific and curtain call worthy collegiate careers of Arellano and Follette. Charter members of the program, the duo has played a pivotal role in the evolution and growth of the program at Arizona State.
Follette closes the door on her Sand Devil stint as the winningest player in program history with 61 career victories to her credit, while Arellano concludes her respective career in second with an exceptional 59-win tally.
The duo also finishes as the winningest pairing in program history, boasting a combined 41 wins, dating back to the 2016 season. Named to the inaugural All-Pac-12 First Team while also being selected to the first ever Pac-12 All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the 2016 season, the pair has posted program-best win totals in consecutive seasons, recording 18 and 23 victories, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Arizona State collectively wraps up the 2017 campaign with 16 victories, its most in program history, having now earned double-digit win totals in consecutive seasons. Under the direction of first-year head coach Brad Keenan, the Sand Devils notched two ranked victories on the season, most notably knocking off then No. 6 Arizona, 3-2 in Tucson on Mar. 4. The Sand Devils also garnered national recognition cracking the AVCA collegiate volleyball poll for the first time in team history, appearing in the rankings for five consecutive weeks.
Arizona State Results
First Round
#6 Bukovec/Wheeler, USC def. #11 Berridge/Okaro, ASU, 21-16, 26-24
#3 Arellano/Follette, ASU def. #14 Vander Weide/Van Sickle, ORE, 21-13, 21-19
#6 Bukovec/Wheeler, USC def. #3 Arellano/Follette, ASU, 19-21, 21-19, 16-14