San Jose State’s 3-2 win over Ottawa University (Arizona) was the perfect housewarming gift for their first home games at
Spartan Beach.

The Spartans won the first four games of the weekend before dropping the Sunday finale. 

Friday started with some great chemistry from junior Ryann Thomison and graduate student Summer Vercruyssen. They played in three close sets, winning and losing by only three points. 

Sophomore Sarah Smevog was all over the court during her match in which she lost two sets, hustling to a lot of balls that would normally be out of reach. 

Senior duo Kaitlynn Zdroik and Caitlin Bettenay stole the show during the first match up. They dominated their opponents in the second of two sets, with a score of 21-13 in the second set.

Prior to the second game of the day, SJSU officially opened the new courts with a ribbon cutting ceremony that featured SJSU President Mary Papazian and Athletics Director Marie Tuite.

Bettenay said the new courts are a motivating factor for the Spartans.

“We’re so blessed to have these courts,” said Bettenay.

SJSU then beat the University of Oregon 4-1, in their second game of the opening weekend at Spartan Beach.

“We were able to be really technical and precise with our communication which enables us to get better [and] faster,” Bettenay said.

She said her chemistry with Zdroik was important to winning the matches for the Spartans.

Zdroik said liked the home-field atmosphere while playing on the new courts, bringing positive morale to the team.

“It’s nice to have a lot of people around, a lot of blue and gold around cheering for us,” Zdroik said.

But despite having a home-field advantage, the Spartans don’t want to get too comfortable with the new courts.

“We still have to bring that same fire that we do anywhere else as if we weren’t home and that’s just the Spartan volleyball way,” Zdroik said.

Zdroik said most of her teammates don’t have too much experience playing on a beach setting, but that didn’t stop them from training for these matches.

“Being very blue-collared, being, like, [a] workhorse, you know we want to go and work hard,” Zdroik said.

Interim head coach Delainey Gregory said during the preseason that the team would scrimmage with each other to prepare for the season.

“We definitely ask for [the players’] input, we obviously have ideas, it’s just kind of a mixture of both, you know, and obviously, what’s best for the team,” Gregory said.

Friday’s momentum carried into Saturday as they took down UC Davis 3-2. 

“I thought we were pretty equally matched and we saw that in the game,” Gregory said. “I thought they were one of the more tougher teams [we faced]. I thought it could have gone either way and we just got through at the end.”

Thomison and Vercruyssen lost the first match against the Aggies 21-16 and 21-15. 

After senior Thaliana Grajeda and sophomore Tabea Schwarz tied up the game 1-1, UC Davis would respond and retake the lead. 

Smevog and sophomore Haylee Nelson tied the game 2-2 for SJSU, meaning the fifth match would decide the victor.

“Usually I’m the one in my pair who looks at the score,” Nelson said. “When I saw that we were down 2-1 in the overall score that popped in my head while we were playing, but me and [Smevog] were just in a really good rhythm and weren’t worried about what UC Davis was doing.”

Zdroik and Bettenay won their match 21-19 and 21-17, giving the Spartans the win over the Aggies.

“We were not necessarily playing our best but we fought through and got the [win],” Gregory said. “All of our girls just dug in and got it done any way they could and they did a really good job today.”

Later that day, the Spartans won again, beating the University of Santa Clara 4-1, good for their fourth victory in a row to begin the season. 

Sarah Smevog looked at these early victories as a motivational factor for the team.

“I’m just really proud of all of us. It’s one thing to win and it’s one thing to win four straight on your home turf. That is brand new to us,” Smevog said.

The games were scheduled five hours apart, and Smevog said she enjoyed having a break in between the matches.

“Beach takes a lot out of you. It is really a lot of work on your body. It’s a lot of cardio,” Smevog said. “So I kind of like the break because it gives us the chance to refocus, kind of calm down a little bit, rest up.”

Nelson also looked at the wins as accomplishments, but she also noted there is room for improvement.

“I think all of us are really confident in our play with the wins behind our back, but we’ve also taken some losses. We’ve come into 3-2 wins twice,” Nelson said.

Nelson considered these wins to be challenging for the Spartans, but also said it boosts their confidence when they’re able to win.

“I think me and [Smevog] personally, yesterday, we were a little nervous [in the] first game of the season and I think we kind of all got the nerves out,” Nelson said.

Gregory said she was proud of the team’s 4-1 start, but that doesn’t take away from the challenges the Spartans will face this season.

“I think this whole season is going to be a grind and tough for us. We’re going to win some, and we’re going to lose some,” Gregory said.

The Spartans could not seal the deal on a perfect home-opening weekend however, losing to Grand Canyon University 5-0 on Sunday.