Tulane University
Jacksonville
Tulane Finishes Strong with Two Wins on Sunday
Mar 29, 2015 | Women's Beach Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- After a setback on Saturday, the Tulane sand volleyball team rebounded Sunday morning with a 5-0 victory over Carson-Newman and a 3-2 win vs. Jacksonville, recording a strong finish to the College of Charleston Sand Classic to improve to 12-8 on the year. Three Green Wave pairings posted wins in both matches: Miah Diirell/Annie Shurtz, Lan Nguyen/Madeline Mertz and Hannah Holmes/Grace Weaver.
In a repeat from their match last weekend in Columbia, the Wave once again recorded a 5-0 sweep over Carson-Newman. The combo of Diirell and Shurtz posted the most impressive outing of the match when they rolled to a 21-12, 21-5 win vs. Morgan Harlan and Kiayna O'Neal.
Diirell and Shurtz weren't the only Tulane tandem to limit Carson-Newman to single digits in a set. The court three freshmen pairing of Nguyen and Mertz cruised to a 21-9, 21-11 win over Taylor Lowe and Anna Patton, while Tea Juric and Jackie Wegner tallied a 21-12, 21-9 win vs. Rachel Harper and Jenna Wilson on court one.
"It was important to play at a high level against newcomer Carson-Newman and we did just that," Tulane head coach Wayne Holly said. "Hidden in the scores of that 5-0 match was a genuine improvement in the way we are thinking about our defense and serving. That was a productive win."
Immediately after the Wave's shutout victory, Tulane remained on the courts to clash with Jacksonville, where after the first round of play, they found themselves in a 1-1 tie. Shurtz/Diirell once again got the Olive and Blue on the board, this time with a 21-11, 21-19 win over Olga Nushtayeva and Gaby Nieto. However, the Dolphins retaliated with a 21-18, 9-21, 17-15 victory over court four's Christina McAfee and Sarah Strasner.
Tulane then made sure to quickly put the match out of reach in the second round, when Holmes/Weaver and Nguyen/Mertz capped their perfect days with swift straight-set victories. On court two, Holmes/Weaver topped Maya Prestes and Emily Laskelle, 21-15, 21-13. Next, Nguyen and Mertz logged a 21-11, 21-13 win over Mackenzie Swan and Jizzyan Gesualdo.
Jacksonville did tack on one more point to the team score when they bested Juric and Wegner in a three-set showdown, which featured two overtime sets: 15-21, 26-24, 16-14.
"It was also important for us to play well against Jacksonville and secure a second win today," Holly added. "I was happy to see our team figure out a way to win although we dropped a decision on court one against a very good Jacksonville pairing. That was something we needed to figure out and we did."
Nguyen and Mertz finished the weekend an impressive 5-0, improving to 14-6 in their debut season. Their 14 wins tie Juric/Wegner for the most on the squad, as they have now won a team high eight dual matches in a row.
Furthermore, Diirell and Shurtz followed right behind, going 4-1 over the past three days. Thus, the newly formed team improved to 6-3 on the year. Finally, Holmes' and Weaver's two wins on Sunday bumped their 2015 record to 11-9.
"Maddy and Lan have been indescribably solid for us lately on court three, and Hannah and Grace played inspired volleyball after working very hard in the morning against Carson-Newman. Also, Annie and Miah are figuring out their new partnership very well," Holly concluded.
Up next, the Green Wave will have a weekend off before returning to action in a doubleheader vs. UNO on April 7, starting at 2 p.m. CT.
Green Wave Results
Tulane 5 -- Carson-Newman 0
Round I
Court 5: Christina McAfee/Sarah Strasner (TU) def. Lauren Santarelli/Eileen Anderson (CN), 21-10, 21-10
Court 4: Miah Diirell/Annie Shurtz (TU) def. Morgan Harlan/Kiayna O'Neal (CN), 21-12, 21-5
Round II
Court 3: Lan Nguyen/Maddy Mertz (TU) def. Taylor Lowe/Anna Patton (CN), 21-9, 21-11
Court 2: Hannah Holmes/Grace Weaver (TU) def. Sara Fairley/Kristen Pickett (CN), 21-14, 18-21, 15-10
Court 1: Tea Juric/Jackie Wegner (TU) def. Rachel Harper/Jenna Wilson (CN), 21-12, 21-9
Tulane 3 -- Jacksonville 2
Round I
Court 5: Miah Diirell/Annie Shurtz (TU) def. Olga Nushtayeva/Gaby Nieto (JU), 21-11, 21-19
Court 4: Lauren Gresham/Cristina Finan (JU) def. Christina McAfee/Sarah Strasner (TU), 21-18, 9-21, 17-15
Round II
Court 3: Lan Nguyen/Maddy Mertz (TU) def. Mackenzie Swan/Jizzyan Gesualdo (JU), 21-11, 21-13
Court 2: Hannah Holmes/Grace Weaver (TU) def. Maya Prestes/Emily Laskelle (JU), 21-15, 21-13
Court 1: Kelly Koop/S. Strausbaugh (JU) def. Tea Juric/Jackie Wegner (TU), 15-21, 26-24, 16-14
