Tulane University
Florida State
Tulane Earns Split in Day One of Gamecock Inv.
Mar 20, 2015 | Women's Beach Volleyball
COLUMBIA, S.C. - In day one of the Gamecock Invitational at the Carolina Sand Volleyball Complex, Tulane (7-4) earned a 1-1 split, sweeping Carson-Newman 5-0, before being shutout 5-0 by the fourth best team in the country in Florida State. Today's opening win was the squad's fifth shutout of the season.
"We finished with a split on a day when we did not play our best volleyball - so that's a good thing," Tulane head coach Wayne Holly said. "The best players find a way to win even when they're not at their best. We're looking forward to tomorrow's matches and to the opportunity to compete hard against two more great opponents. I have no doubt that we will compete hard tomorrow and I can't wait to get to the courts in the morning."
The Wave started the tournament on a high note, picking up their seventh win on the young season with their 5-0 sweep vs Carson-Newman. Courtney Liddle and Annie Shurtz recorded the most dominant outing of the day, cruising to a 21-5, 21-2 victory over Morgan Harlan and Lindsey Wells on court four.
Hannah Holmes and Grace Weaver also kept their opponents from reaching double digits in both sets, earning a 21-8, 21-9 win on court three versus Kristen Picket and Kristina Hill.
On court one, Tea Juric and Jackie Wegner got their seventh win as a pair with a 21-11, 24-22 effort over Rachel Harper and Jenna Wilson. The freshmen tandem of Lan Nguyen and Madeline Mertz posted a 21-11, 21-10 win on court two vs. Sara Fairley and Taylor Lowe, while freshman Christina McAfee got her second win in a row, this time with Miah Diirell on court five over Lauren Santarelli and Anna Patton.
In their afternoon match, the Green Wave had an opportunity to knock off the program's second ever top-10 opponent, but ultimately fell 5-0 to No. 4 Florida State. Mertz and Nguyen impressed on court two, playing Sarah Wickstrom and Sierra Sanchez close at 21-15, 21-19.
In addition, Juric and Wegner on court one pushed their opposition to overtime in the second set, but dropped a 21-11, 24-22 decision.
On Saturday, the Wave will clash with host South Carolina at 10:30 a.m. CT, before closing out the day vs. Georgia State at 3:45 p.m. Then, Tulane concludes the Gamecock Invitational on Sunday with familiar foes Arizona State at 7 a.m., followed by UAB at 10:30 a.m.
Green Wave Results
Tulane 5 - Carson-Newman 0
Court 1: Juric / Wegner (TU) def. Harper / Wilson (CN), 21-17, 21-16
Court 2: Nguyen / Mertz (TU) def. Fairley / Lowe (CN), 21-11, 21-10
Court 3: Holmes / Weaver (TU) def. Picket / Hill (CN), 21-8, 21-9
Court 4: Liddle / Shurtz (TU) def. Harlan / Wells (CN), 21-5, 21-2
Court 5: Diirell / McAfee (TU) def. Santarelli / Patton (CN), 21-11, 19-21, 15-9
No. 4 Florida State 5 - Tulane 0
Court 1: Pellitteri / Paranagua (FSU) def. Juric / Wegner (TU), 21-11, 24-22
Court 2: Wickstrom / Sanchez (FSU) def. Mertz / Nguyen (TU), 21-15, 21-19
Court 3: Brown / Pavels (FSU) def. Weaver / Holmes (FSU), 21-12, 21-14
Court 4: Montgomery / Freire (FSU) def. Liddle / Shurtz (TU), 21-5, 21-0 (forfeit)
Court 5: Nyquist / Joyce (FSU) def. Diirell / Strasner (TU), 21-5, 21-17
