Boise State Athletics

The Broncos recorded two sweeps on the day to secure the championship, first defeating No. 3 San Jose State 3-0 in the consolation final before taking down three-time defending champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by the same margin in the championship contest. 

Emilia Guerra-Acuña and Elli Wolthuis scored the first point of the day for the Broncos, winning 21-11, 21-18 against San Jose State’s Addison DeMarse and Elon Milroy from court four. Moments later, Ava Anderson and Addison Wolden gave Boise State a 2-0 lead with a straight-set win from the No. 2 position.

Both the Broncos’ No. 1 and 3 pairs took their respective first sets in the second flight to give the Blue and Orange a cushion. Charlee Ellena and Lily Patock eventually earned the clinching point, winning 21-15, 21-19 from court five to send Boise State to the championship dual.

Seeking revenge after losing the deciding point a day ago, Anderson and Wolden came out with a vengeance, winning 21-16, 21-18 on court two to give Boise State the first point of the day. Attention turned to court four, where the two sides split the first two sets. Guerra-Acuña and Wolthuis staved off three separate match points to secure a thrilling 21-19 third-set win to give the Broncos a commanding 2-0 lead entering the second flight.

The Islanders didn’t back down. After dropping the first set on two of the three courts, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi forced a third set in all three matches to send the dual to the wire. Tied 10-10 from the top court, Allyson Alden and Sharli O’Neil ripped off five straight points to secure the Broncos’ first championship in program history. 

Notables

– The Broncos punched a ticket to the 16-team NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship for the first time in program history.

– Boise State won its first Southland Conference Tournament Championship in program history.

– Emilia Guerra-Acuña set the program record for most matches played in program history, ending the weekend with 136 career matches. The program’s all-time wins leader passed the previous record set by Sierra Land (2021-24), who played in 134 duals.

– Ava Anderson became the sixth player in program history to eclipse 60 career victories, finishing the tournament with 61. 

– Anderson and partner Addison Wolden became the 10th pair in program history to win 20+ duals over their career.

– Boise State swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the first time in program history.

– The Broncos have won five consecutive matchups against the Spartans.

Quotables

“I’m really speechless. We’ve been chasing this for a long time and finally achieved our goal. To make history is just an amazing feeling. We’ve never done this before and I’m just so proud of our group.” – head coach Allison Voigt

“We’ve been working all year for this moment. 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.” – Voigt

“That celebration was just pure joy. I love this team so much and I’m glad they got to experience that moment. 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. 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.” – Voigt

What’s Next

Boise State earned a spot in the 16-team NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship, which will take place May 2-4 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Broncos will learn their seeding during the NCAA Beach Volleyball Selection Show, which will occur at 11 a.m. MT on Sunday, April 27.

Full Results

No. 1 Boise State def. No. 3 San Jose State 3-0 (Order of Finish: 4,2,5)

1: Allyson Alden/Sharli O’Neil (BOI) vs. Kiara Edwards/Sabrina Moore (SJSU) 21-16, 19-18 unfinished

2: Ava Anderson/Addison Wolden (BOI) def. Jada Hall/Randi Reeves (SJSU) 21-18, 21-19

3: Avery Allen/Abbie Wolf (BOI) vs. Kylee Moore/Anna Salmon (SJSU) 18-21, 19-16 unfinished

4: Emilia Guerra-Acuña/Elli Wolthuis (BOI) def. Addison DeMarse/Elon Milroy (SJSU) 21-11, 21-18

5: Charlee Ellena/Lily Patock (BOI) def. Alexandra Dale/Aubrey McBride (SJSU) 21-15, 21-19

No. 1 Boise State def. No. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-0 (Order of Finish: 2,4,5)

1: Allyson Alden/Sharli O’Neil (BOI) def. Madison Morrow/Tess Spaansen (TAMCC) 21-13, 17-21, 15-10

2: Ava Anderson/Addison Wolden (BOI) def. Kristin Bobay/Millie Olsson (TAMCC) 21-16, 21-18

3: Avery Allen/Abbie Wolf (BOI) vs. Elizabeth Cortez/Kela Moreno (TAMCC) 21-17, 23-25, 6-4 unfinished

4: Emilia Guerra-Acuña/Elli Wolthuis (BOI) vs. Jade Bennett/Bryce Ranney (TAMCC) 21-15, 14-21, 21-19

5: Charlee Ellena/Lily Patock (BOI) vs. Maria Duda Fernandes de Melo/Ashlyn Rough (TAMCC) 19-21, 21-14, 7-12 unfinished