MESA, Ariz. - [BOX SCORE] OUAZ (Ariz.) edged top-ranked Southern Oregon in a tense, back-and-forth NAIA Beach Volleyball Invitational dual on April 24, with the No. 4 Spirit rallying to a 3-2 victory that came down to three-set battles and timely finishes on the sand.

The opening wave featured the No. 2 and No. 4 pairs, setting an early tone of momentum swings. On court at the No. 1 spot, OUAZ’s Eliana Dean and Maya Blake delivered one of the dual’s most dramatic results, outlasting SOU’s Tessa Zimmermann and Grace Gulbrandsen in three sets, 22-20, 22-24, 15-12. OUAZ narrowly captured the first set, then watched Southern Oregon respond by stealing the second in extra points, before Dean and Blake steadied in the decider to secure a crucial point against the Raiders’ top pair.

Southern Oregon answered most convincingly at the No. 3 position, where Andressa Ribeiro Soares and Maelle Garon controlled the match from start to finish. They defeated OUAZ’s Katy Shockey and Alicia Romero in straight sets, 21-11, 21-9, giving the Raiders a point that never felt in doubt and keeping the overall dual tight as other courts pushed toward third sets.

The remaining matches turned the dual into a test of composure. At No. 2, SOU’s Kira Sandoval and Molly Grace recovered after dropping the first set to OUAZ’s Shayna Martinez and Olga Romero, 14-21, then flipped the script with a 24-22 second-set escape and a 15-11 win in the third to claim the Raiders’ second point. With Southern Oregon picking up wins at No. 2 and No. 3, OUAZ needed to be nearly perfect on the other courts to pull the upset.

That is exactly what happened. OUAZ’s Shea Marovich and Alexia Luengo delivered a pivotal response at No. 4, rebounding from an 18-21 first-set loss to defeat Amanda Moffat and Kaitlyn Shilling, 21-15, 15-11. The turnaround not only tied the dual but also shifted the pressure back onto Southern Oregon as the final court became decisive.

OUAZ ultimately sealed the 3-2 win behind Marielle Ramos and Gabriele Corrales at No. 5. They handled SOU’s Natalie Perez and Kendal Hadwick in straight sets, 21-17, 21-8, finishing the dual with their cleanest set of the morning and providing the third point OUAZ needed to topple the No. 1 team.