Boise State’s women’s beach volleyball team recorded three victories, including two sweeps, at the Carolina Challenge over the weekend of March 14. The Broncos (7-5) defeated College of Charleston, Jacksonville, and UNC Wilmington, with their only loss coming in a close 3-2 match against No. 20 South Carolina.
The event was significant for several players and partnerships on the team. Ava Anderson and Addison Wolden finished with a 3-1 record at the two-day tournament, reaching 29 career victories together and tying the program record for most wins by a pair. Allyson Alden and Serena van der Made went undefeated across four matches, improving to a perfect 8-0 from the No. 2 position this season.
The dual against South Carolina was closely contested. Alden and van der Made won a tight three-set match on court two to put Boise State ahead early. Addison Moss and Elli Wolthuis also secured a win after dropping their first set on court four. However, South Carolina responded with wins on courts five and three before clinching victory in the final match on court one.
Head coach Alex Venardos said, “A lot of partnerships found their groove this weekend. We’ve been experiencing a lot with the depth of our roster and a lot of people found their stride and played to their strengths.” He added, “We’re trying to climb mountains. The experience at the top of the lineup eases up a lot of pressure. A lot of the stuff we’re hearing in debriefs from our group is about how much the seniors keep their composure in tough moments.”
Several individual milestones were reached during the tournament: Anderson became just the fourth Bronco to reach 70 career victories; Wolthuis competed in her 100th career match; and freshman Luna Ingaramo made her debut with a straight-set win from court five.
Looking ahead, Boise State will compete at the Death Volley Invitational hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge starting March 20, where they are scheduled to face three ranked opponents.
