Mertz, McHugh Earn CCSA Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week Award
Apr 10, 2018 | Women's Beach Volleyball
Release from CCSA
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane beach volleyball's top duo of senior Madeline Mertz and sophomore Kaylie McHugh earned the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Pair of the Week honor after going 7-0 last week, winning both flights in the doubleheader against ULM before sweeping the weekend and knocking off in-state rival LSU's No. 1 pair in straight sets at the Green Wave Invitational.
This is the first time the duo has won the CCSA Pair of the Week award.
"A well-deserved honor for two exceptional people who, together, are among the best pairs in the country," head coach Wayne Holly said. "I'm proud of Maddy and Kaylie and happy to see them acknowledged."
The Green Wave's No. 1 pair started last week with two wins against ULM's top pair in Wednesday's doubleheader. Mertz and McHugh topped their opponents in straight sets in both matches, earning a 21-13, 21-8 flight win in dual one and a 21-10, 21-8 flight win in dual two.
Their roll continued into the weekend at the Green Wave Invitational, hosted by Tulane at White Sands Volleyball Courts. Mertz and McHugh picked up their 19th win of the season in a straight-set 21-19, 21-13 win against HBU's No. 1 pair before they electrified the crowd with a win over LSU's top duo in straight sets (21-17, 21-16) on Saturday.
Mertz and McHugh opened day two of the competition with a three-set flight win against nationally-ranked GCU and its top pair, coming away with a 21-15, 16-21, 16-14 win - their fifth of the week. Tulane's top pair sealed their perfect undefeated week with straight-set flight wins against UCA and UNO on Sunday afternoon to help their team go 6-1 over the week, improving the Green Wave's overall record to 18-11, 3-6 CCSA.
Mertz and McHugh are 23-6 on the season as a pair, with 18 of their 23 total flight wins coming in straight sets. Eight of their wins have come against ranked competition - No. 14, TCU, No. 8 Cal Poly, No. 14 Stanford, No. 17 Stetson, No. 9 Georgia State, No. 18 FAU, No. 8 LSU and No. 12 Grand Canyon.
Currently riding a eight-flight winning streak, Mertz and McHugh head to the Palmetto Invitational this weekend in Columbia, South Carolina, where Tulane competes in its final regular season tournament before the CCSA Championship. The Green Wave, ranked No. 19 by the AVCA and No. 16 by DiG, will face two conference opponents in No. 20 College of Charleston and host No. 9 South Carolina, as well as Missouri State and Coastal Carolina.
ROLL WITH THE WAVE
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
Follow Tulane beach volleyball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for live results, updates and news. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.
NEW ORLEANS - Tulane beach volleyball's top duo of senior Madeline Mertz and sophomore Kaylie McHugh earned the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Pair of the Week honor after going 7-0 last week, winning both flights in the doubleheader against ULM before sweeping the weekend and knocking off in-state rival LSU's No. 1 pair in straight sets at the Green Wave Invitational.
This is the first time the duo has won the CCSA Pair of the Week award.
"A well-deserved honor for two exceptional people who, together, are among the best pairs in the country," head coach Wayne Holly said. "I'm proud of Maddy and Kaylie and happy to see them acknowledged."
The Green Wave's No. 1 pair started last week with two wins against ULM's top pair in Wednesday's doubleheader. Mertz and McHugh topped their opponents in straight sets in both matches, earning a 21-13, 21-8 flight win in dual one and a 21-10, 21-8 flight win in dual two.
Their roll continued into the weekend at the Green Wave Invitational, hosted by Tulane at White Sands Volleyball Courts. Mertz and McHugh picked up their 19th win of the season in a straight-set 21-19, 21-13 win against HBU's No. 1 pair before they electrified the crowd with a win over LSU's top duo in straight sets (21-17, 21-16) on Saturday.
Mertz and McHugh opened day two of the competition with a three-set flight win against nationally-ranked GCU and its top pair, coming away with a 21-15, 16-21, 16-14 win - their fifth of the week. Tulane's top pair sealed their perfect undefeated week with straight-set flight wins against UCA and UNO on Sunday afternoon to help their team go 6-1 over the week, improving the Green Wave's overall record to 18-11, 3-6 CCSA.
Mertz and McHugh are 23-6 on the season as a pair, with 18 of their 23 total flight wins coming in straight sets. Eight of their wins have come against ranked competition - No. 14, TCU, No. 8 Cal Poly, No. 14 Stanford, No. 17 Stetson, No. 9 Georgia State, No. 18 FAU, No. 8 LSU and No. 12 Grand Canyon.
Currently riding a eight-flight winning streak, Mertz and McHugh head to the Palmetto Invitational this weekend in Columbia, South Carolina, where Tulane competes in its final regular season tournament before the CCSA Championship. The Green Wave, ranked No. 19 by the AVCA and No. 16 by DiG, will face two conference opponents in No. 20 College of Charleston and host No. 9 South Carolina, as well as Missouri State and Coastal Carolina.
ROLL WITH THE WAVE
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
Follow Tulane beach volleyball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for live results, updates and news. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.
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