Tulane University
College of Charleston
Beach Volleyball Drops Pair of 1-4 Decisions at Palmetto Invitational
Apr 14, 2017 | Women's Beach Volleyball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Tulane faced a pair of Coastal Collegiate Sports Association opponents to open day one of the Palmetto Invitational but struggled to overcome early deficits, falling to College of Charleston and No. 12 South Carolina on Friday at the Wheeler Beach courts in Columbia, S.C. With the pair of losses, the Green Wave fall to 18-11 on the year and 3-10 in conference play.
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QUOTE
"We struggled to find our best volleyball today. While we played well at times, we were just unable to do that consistently enough to win. We have two more matches tomorrow and two more opportunities to play and coach better."
--Head coach Wayne Holly
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COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 4, TULANE 1
The Green Wave got off to a rough start to open their final weekend before the CCSA Championships, falling four sets to one to conference foe College of Charleston on Friday morning in Columbia.
Courts four and five were the first finishers of the morning from Wheeler Beach, as the Green Wave faced an early 0-2 deficit after falling in straight sets to the Cougars' No. 4 and No. 5 pairs.
Tulane got into the win column in the next match, as juniors Madeline Mertz and Lan Nguyen paired up for their first court-two contest of the season. The duo defeated College of Charleston's No. 2 pair of Katja Ejlers and Maddie Hills in straight sets on scores of 21-19 and 21-13 to make it a 2-1 dual.
The Cougars claimed the win on court three, as Tarin Mergener and Annie Shurtz fell 18-21 and 15-21.
In their first No. 1 match-up of the year, Tulane's freshman-senior pairing of Tea Juric and Kaylie McHugh came within points of knocking off the Cougars' top duo of McKala Rhodes and Krissy Mummey but fell two sets to one as College of Charleston sealed the 4-1 conference victory.
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NO. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA 4, TULANE 1
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing morning loss, the women of Tulane beach volleyball battled host South Carolina but fell short of an upset over the No. 12 Gamecocks, dropping the second dual of the day on another 1-4 decision.
The Green Wave fell on the first two courts, dropping matches on courts four and five in straight sets as the Gamecocks took an early 2-0 lead in the dual. Similar to that morning, Tulane battled back in the following flight, with Juric and McHugh notching their first win in the No. 1 position on identical scores of 21-17.
Looking to capitalize on momentum from a court-one victory, the Green Wave fell on court three as Briana Correa and Hannah Holmes dropped back-to-back sets and South Carolina picked up a conference win.
Tulane turned in its final results of the day on court two, with Mertz and Nguyen fighting the Gamecocks to a 26-24 decision in the second set and forcing a third. Tied at one set apiece, the junior duo fell 12-15 in the third as South Carolina finished 4-1 in the dual.
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UP NEXT
Tulane will close out the Palmetto Invitational on Saturday with rematches against Jacksonville State and UNC Wilmington.
Fans can keep up with the latest in Tulane beach volleyball action by following the team on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
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Results from Day One of the Palmetto Invitational
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 4, TULANE 1
No. 1 MaKala Rhodes/Krissy Mummey (COC) def. Tea Juric/Kaylie McHugh (TUL) 25-23, 10-21, 15-12
No. 2 Madeline Mertz/Lan Nguyen (TUL) def. Katja Ejlers/Maddie Hills (COC) 21-19, 21-13
No. 3 Riana Brennan/Devon Rachel (COC) def. Tarin Mergener/Annie Shurtz (TUL) 21-18, 21-15
No. 4 Allison Beckman/Lauren Hollman (COC) def. Sarah Strasner/Hannah Holmes (TUL) 21-18, 21-15
No. 5 Taylor Foley/Lauren Freed (COC) def. Christina McAfee/Anna Chin (TUL) 21-7, 21-10
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
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NO. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA 4, TULANE 1
No. 1 Tea Juric/Kaylie McHugh (TUL) def. Adrianna Culbert/Katie Smith (SC) 21-17, 21-17
No. 2 Shannon Williams/Ali Denney (SC) def. Lan Nguyen/Madeline Mertz (TUL) 21-13, 24-26, 15-12
No. 3 Katie Zimmerman/Macie Tendrich (SC) def. Briana Correa/Hannah Holmes (TUL) 21-14, 21-13
No. 4 Julia Mannisto/Carly Schneider (SC) def. Annie Shurtz/Tarin Mergener (TUL) 21-16, 21-12
No. 5 Jade Vitt/Franky Harrison (SC) def. Sarah Strasner/Anna Chin (TUL) 21-11, 21-18
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 1, 3, 2
