Two key members of Salpointe Catholic’s undefeated, state-champion beach volleyball team are two victories away from winning a state title in pairs.
Top-seeded Brandy Kishbaugh and Andrea Owens will take on Canyon del Oro’s unseeded duo of Katie Call and Morgan Hains Thursday night in the Division II pairs semifinals. The semifinals start at 5:30 p.m. at Queen Creek Casteel High School, with the winners moving on to play in the state championship match 30 minutes following the conclusion of the semis.
The AIA awards state championships to both teams and pairs in beach volleyball; the team championships were played last week, with Salpointe taking home the Division II title.
The first two rounds of the pairs tournament were played Tuesday. Kishbaugh and Owens, both seniors, needed three sets to beat their first-round opponents, a duo from Fountain Hills, and then advanced to the semis with a 21-18, 21-10 win over a duo from Deer Valley.
CDO’s Call and Hains took down a Desert Edge duo in three sets, then upset the No. 4 seed in the tournament, Flagstaff Coconino’s Brooke Parker and RiKenna Curtis, in the quarterfinals. The 21-19, 20-22, 16-14 win set up the showdown against the Lancers’ top pair.
Kishbaugh and Owens were key to Salpointe’s run to the team title last week, even though they ended up losing in straight sets during the final against Valley Christian. At the time, coach Heather Moore-Martin said their impact on the program couldn’t be measured.
“They showed us that you have to put in that extra work to be the best you can be,” Moore-Martin said. “Also, they showed you got to be really dedicated to volleyball and willing to do what it takes to be the best. We will miss them next year.”
But first, there’s one — and possibly two — more matches to play.
