The Boise State beach volleyball team crossed two major milestones off its checklist Friday in New Orleans.
The Broncos swept No. 3 San Jose State and three-time defending champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to win their first Southland Conference championship and secure the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.
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“I’m really speechless. We’ve been chasing this for a long time and finally achieved our goal,” Boise State coach Allison Voigt said in a news release. “To make history is just an amazing feeling. We’ve never done this before and I’m just so proud of our group.”
The Broncos will learn their tournament seed and opening-round opponent during the NCAA Beach Volleyball Selection Show, which begins at 11 a.m. Mountain time on Sunday and will be streamed live on NCAA.com. The tournament consists of just 16 teams, with eight receiving automatic bids via conference championships.
The NCAA Tournament runs May 2-4 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The Boise State beach volleyball team defeated three-time defending champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the Southland Conference championship on Friday, earning its first NCAA Tournament bid.
“That celebration was just pure joy. I love this team so much and I’m glad they got to experience that moment,” Voigt said. “Also, there have been several people over the years — both former players and former staff — that have helped grow this program to where it is and achieve moments like this.
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“The fact that we get to go to the main stage next week against the top programs in the nation is exciting. We’re excited to show out and show what Boise State beach volleyball is all about.”
On Friday, Boise State defeated San Jose State 3-0 in the consolation final and then swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the Southland championship.
Broncos Emilia Guerra-Acuña and Elli Wolthuis scored the first point of the day against SJSU, winning 21-11, 21-18. Moments later, Ava Anderson and Addison Wolden gave Boise State a 2-0 lead with a straight-set win from the No. 2 position. Charlee Ellena and Lily Patock eventually earned the clinching point, winning 21-15, 21-19 to send Boise State to the championship dual.
Against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Anderson and Wolden scored the first win for the Broncos, followed by a victory from Guerra-Acuña and Wolthuis. Allyson Alden and Sharli O’Neil sealed the deal with a three-set win in the No. 1 spot.
“We’ve been working all year for this moment,” Voigt said. “Throughout the whole contest we just never celebrated too early. We just kept fighting for every point and we were able to get what we wanted in the end.”
