TUCSON, Ariz.— The Arizona Beach Volleyball team will travel back home to Tucson to compete in their home opener at Bear Down Beach in Tucson February 27-28. The SandCats carry momentum from their opening weekend at the Grand Canyon Invitational to the Cactus Classic.  

Arizona went 3-1 at the GCU Invitational, defeating UC Davis (4-1), Colorado Mesa (4-1) and #13 GCU (3-2) with one loss against #5 TCU (1-4). The Wildcats will face UTEP, ASU, Oregon and Georgia State this weekend.  

Cactus Classic Match Ups 

Oregon- Arizona leads the series with 10 wins and 1 loss against Oregon, currently on a 7-match winning streak. In their latest matchups from last season Arizona defeated Oregon 4-1 and 3-2.

Grand Canyon- Following the upset by the Cats from last week, the match history between Arizona and Grand Canyon has been competitive, with GCU leading the series 7-5. Arizona lost both matches to GCU in 2025 but came off a win against them in opening tournament at the GCU Invitational taking the match 3-2.

UTEP- Arizona against UTEP is 5-0 all time. Arizona won their two matchups against the Miners in the 2025 season, taking both matches 4-1.

Georgia State- Arizona is 3-1 in their matchups against Georgia St. with there last match being played in the 2023 season where the Cats won 3-2.

Cactus Classic full match schedule:

Friday, February 27:
MATCH 1 – Georgia State vs. Arizona State (9:00 a.m. MST)
MATCH 2 – UTEP vs. Arizona (10:15 a.m. MST)
MATCH 3 - Oregon vs. GCU (11:30 a.m. MST)
MATCH 4 - Arizona vs. Arizona State (12:45 p.m. MST)
MATCH 5 – Georgia State vs. Oregon (2:00 p.m. MST)
MATCH 6 - GCU vs. UTEP (3:15 p.m. MST)

Saturday, February 28:
MATCH 1 – Oregon vs. UTEP (9:00 a.m. MST)
MATCH 2 – GCU vs. Georgia State (10:15 a.m. MST)
MATCH 3 - Oregon vs. Arizona (11:30 a.m. MST)
MATCH 4 - UTEP vs. GCU (12:45 p.m. MST)
MATCH 5 – Georgia State vs. Arizona (2:00 p.m. MST)


Noting the Wildcats

Ashlyn Zilliken and Madeline Walker
Zilliken and Walker went 3-1 last weekend as the #2 pair. They were the sole point against #5 TCU winning their matchup in three sets (12-21, 21-19, 15-9). They opened the season strong, a continuation of the success they had in the 2025 season.

Regan Holmer and Carli Cisneros
Holmer and Cisneros played as the #1 pair all weekend and went 2-2. Their biggest win of the weekend came against #13 GCU where they won a crucial point in three sets (21-19, 19-21, 15-13). Both newcomers this year, Holmer a transfer and Cisneros coming over from the indoor team will look to continue their strong play this weekend.

Sophia Winter and Jamie Streit
Winter and Streit played as the #4 pair this past weekend, going 3-1. Their biggest win was against #13 GCU where they won their three-set match (21-17, 13-21, 15-10).