Tulane University
New Orleans
Tulane Sweeps Doubleheader versus UNO
Apr 7, 2015 | Women's Beach Volleyball
Photo Gallery 
| Weaver Interview | Mertz Interview
NEW ORLEANS -- It was a clean sweep for the Tulane sand volleyball team on Tuesday afternoon, rolling to two 5-0 wins vs. UNO at Coconut Beach. It was a dominant showing for the Green Wave, earning straight set victories on all five courts in both matches. As a result, the Wave have tied their season high four match winning streak, improving to 14-8 on the season.
"We did a really good job of coming out and playing no matter what flight we were in or what teammate we had," Tulane senior Grace Weaver said. "Overall just a really good day for us."
"We went 5-0 so it was a really great performance on every aspect, but I thought our effort really shone through today and that's what helped us push through and finish," Tulane freshman Maddy Mertz said.
The Olive and Blue emphatically came out strong from get-go in match one, only allowing three of their opponents' set scores to reach double digits. The most dominant outing in match one belonged to the court four pairing of Annie Shurtz and Miah Diirell, who cruised to a 21-5, 21-4 win over Camila Lau and Kelsea Hundtoft.
The two were then split in match two as Shurtz joined forces with a returning Courtney Liddle, whom together registered a 21-10, 21-11 win vs. Celeste Ramirez and Taylor Berry. Meanwhile, Diirell teamed up with Grace Weaver for the first time and recorded a 21-14, 21-9, victory on court three over Hundtoft and Lau. Weaver had earlier competed with Hannah Holmes in their 21-8, 21-16, match one victory on court two.
Tea Juric and Jackie Wegner looked in top form, picking up a 21-8, 21-5, win vs. Cara Sander and Celeste Ramierz. In match two, the Tulane duo continued their strong play with a 21-6, 21-11 victory over Brook Frank and Lauren Levy.
On court five, Sarah Strasner and Christina McAfee were the only combo to receive a true rematch with the same UNO pairing. Strasner/McAfee first tallied a 21-15, 21-10 win vs. Ashley Everett and Courtney Roblez, before improving in the second go-around with a 21-11, 21-6 victory.
Last, but certainly not least, is Tulane's hottest playing pairing in Lan Nguyen and Maddy Mertz. After a 21-5, 21-6 win on court three, the freshmen duo moved up to court two in the second match, where they logged a 21-12, 21-13 victory. Nguyen and Mertz have now won ten straight duals and tie Juric/Wegner for the best partnered record on the team at 16-6.
Up next, Tulane heads to Siesta Key, Florida, for the weekend, where they'll first clash with North Florida for the first time in 2015 on Friday at 1 p.m. CT. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the Wave will compete in the annual Fiesta on Siesta Key, the first and lone pairs tournament of the season.
"We'll need to make an adjustment in terms of speed of the game and got to make sure our execution stays nice and clean, but it'll be a good match Friday," Tulane head coach Wayne Holly stated.
Green Wave Results
Match One:
Tulane 5 -- UNO 0
No. 1: Tea Juric / Jackie Wegner (TU) def. Cara Sander / Celeste Ramirez (UNO), 21-8, 21-5
No. 2: Grace Weaver / Hannah Holmes (TU) def. Brooklyn Frank / Lauren Levy (UNO), 21-8, 21-16
No. 3: Madeline Mertz / Lan Nguyen (TU) def. Mikala Sellers-Wiebe / Sophia Gracey (UNO), 21-5, 21-6
No. 4: Annie Shurtz / Miah Diirell (TU) def. Camila Lau / Kelsea Hundtoft (UNO), 21-5, 21-4
No. 5: Sarah Strasner / Christina McAfee (TU) def. Ashley Everett / Courtney Roblez (UNO), 21-15, 21-10
Match Two:
Tulane 5 -- UNO 0
No. 1: Tea Juric / Jackie Wegner (TU) def. Brook Frank / Lauren Levy (UNO), 21-6, 21-11
No. 2: Madeline Mertz / Lan Nguyen (TU) def. Cara Sander / Mikayla Sellers-Wiebe (UNO), 21-12, 21-13
No. 3: Grace Weaver / Miah Diirell (TU) def. Kelsea Hundtoft / Camila Lau (UNO), 21-14, 21-9
No. 4: Courtney Liddle / Annie Shurtz (TU) def. Celeste Ramirez / Taylor Berry (UNO), 21-10, 21-11
No. 5: Christina McAfee / Sarah Strasner (TU) def. Ashley Everett / Courtney Roblez (UNO), 21-11, 21-6
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