Tulane University
Florida Atlantic University
No. 17 Beach Volleyball Splits Day One at Badger Beach Bash
Mar 11, 2017 | Women's Beach Volleyball
GULF SHORES, Ala. – The No. 17 Tulane beach volleyball team opened up the second weekend of the 2017 season with a split decision in day one of Spring Hill's Badger Beach Bash on Friday morning in Gulf Shores. The Green Wave dropped a 3-2 dual to No. 19 Florida Atlantic before knocking off UL-Monroe 4-1 to open the season with a 5-1 record for the third time in program history.
QUOTE
"Our goal was to win two matches today, so a split is disappointing and not nearly good enough for this team. We're capable of better and will find a way to ensure our performance matches our potential. FAU played much better volleyball in high winds than we did, so they deserved to win that very close match and I credit their team for outplaying us in today's conditions. ULM played with great motivation and was much improved from last week when we played them. The windy conditions can be a great equalizer in this game so I was happy that our players were able to play well enough to get a win to close us out."
--Tulane Head Coach Wayne Holly
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FAU 3, TULANE 2
Tulane was slow to get things going in the first two matches of the morning, narrowly dropping flights four and five to No. 19 Florida Atlantic in the Green Wave's first conference match-up of the season. No. 5 pair of Christina McAfee and Annie Shurtz fell just short of a set one victory, 17-21, and could not force a third, dropping the deciding set 20-22 to the Owls.
Flight four played just as close but also did not fall in the Green Wave's favor, with Tarin Mergener and Briana Correa finishing 21-23 and 18-21.
Tulane would bounce back on courts two and three, with seniors Hannah Holmes and Sarah Strasner battling to a 2-1 decision over the Owls' third pair. Tea Juric and Kaylie McHugh evened the dual to two matches apiece on a 2-1 final of their own in the No. 2 spot, but the Green Wave couldn't clinch the match on the final court, with Madeline Mertz and Lan Nguyen falling 21-23 in the final set to close out the dual for Tulane's first loss of the season.
TULANE 4, ULM 1
Following a sweep of the Warhawks last weekend, Tulane continued its winning ways over in-state foe UL-Monroe in the final match of the afternoon. Despite dropping the No. 5 spot in a three-set nail biter, the Green Wave bounced back to take the next four matches to seal the 4-1 victory.
Holmes and Strasner were the first Tulane pair to get back into the win column, dropping their first set 18-21 but bouncing back, 21-15 and 15-11, to seal a Green Wave victory and even the dual 1-1. Mergener and Correa would also fall in their first set but overcame the Warhawks 21-17 and 15-11 to give Tulane the 2-1 lead.
The Green Wave sealed a dual victory on court two, with Juric and McHugh pulling off a 2-1 win over the Warhawks' No. 2 pair. Tulane's top duo of Mertz and Nguyen then posted their first match sweep of the weekend to close day one with a 4-1 decision over ULM.
Tulane also won both exhibition matches, as Anna Chin and Lindsey Huber knocked off both opponents from FAU and ULM in consecutive 2-1 decisions.
UP NEXT
Tulane opens day two of the Badger Beach Bash with a 10 a.m. contest against Houston Baptist. The Green Wave will wrap up their stay in Gulf Shores with two afternoon duals, facing Jacksonville State for the second time this year at 4 p.m. and host Spring Hill at 6 p.m.
Fans can keep up with the latest in Tulane beach volleyball action by following the team on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Â
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FAU 3, TULANE 2
1. Jessalyn Kinlaw/Megan Rice (FAU) def. Madeline Mertz/Lan Nguyen (Tulane) 21-10, 23-21Â
2. Tea Juric/Kaylie McHugh (Tulane) def. Jazmine Barker/Brittany Pellitteri (FAU) 12-21, 21-15, 15-7
3. Hannah Holmes/Sarah Strasner (Tulane) def. Gabby Dischler/Candace Lacour (FAU) 8-21, 21-18, 16-14
4. Nicole Grant/Nicole Navarro (FAU) def. Tarin Mergener/Briana Correa (Tulane) 23-21, 21-18Â
5. Julia Lewkowicz/Ashlan Cunningham (FAU) def. Christina McAfee/Annie Shurtz (Tulane) 21-17, 22-20
6. Ext. Lindsey Huber/Anna Chin (Tulane) def. Maja Ristic/Carly Scarborough (FAU) 21-15, 10-21, 15-7.
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TULANE 4, ULM 1
1. Madeline Mertz/Lan Nguyen (Tulane) def. Hadley Swartz/Kori Simpson (ULM) 21-13, 23-21
2. Tea Juric/Kaylie McHugh (Tulane) def. Delaney Driver/Gabby Love (ULM) 21-14, 21-17
3. Tarin Mergener/Briana Correa (Tulane) def. Tara Jenkins/Claire Crossfield (ULM) 18-21, 21-17, 15-11
4. Hannah Holmes/Sarah Strasner (Tulane) def. Rebecca Brown/Ana Ribeiro (ULM) 18-21, 21-15, 15-11
5. Bailey Smith/Grace Convey (ULM) def. Christina McAfee/Annie Shurtz (Tulane) 25-23, 16-21, 15-8
