Beach Volleyball’s Juric, McHugh Earn All-CCSA Postseason Honors
Apr 20, 2017 | Women's Beach Volleyball
LakePoint, Ga. – With the second annual Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Conference Championships quickly approaching, the league has announced this year's beach volleyball postseason awards. For their work in the 2017 season, both Tea Juric and Kaylie McHugh received conference honors, with the pair being named to the All-Conference Team and McHugh being selected to the All-Freshman Team.
"Tea and Kaylie have established themselves as one of the premiere pairs in our conference, so it's great to see them recognized for their accomplishments," head coach Wayne Holly said. "They both have worked hard to become the players they are, and their consistency is remarkable. We're very proud of them and grateful to have them on our side of the net."
Senior Tea Juric and freshman Kaylie McHugh were named to the CCSA All-Conference Team after posting a 25-6 overall record in the 2017 regular season for the third-best mark in program history. The pair played six tournaments in the No. 2 spot, going 22-5 on court two before moving up in the lineup for last weekend's Palmetto Invitational, where Juric and McHugh went 3-1 in the No. 1 spot.
After opening up the season on a nine-game winning streak, the freshman-senior pair are now one of four Tulane duos to reach the 20-win mark this season. They hold the team's best record on the year and have downed their opponents in straight sets on 21 occasions.
Tulane's winningest pair has also upended six national seeds, two in the top ten. Their first victory over a ranked team came on March 11 over No. 19 FAU, followed by a 2-1 upset of No. 8 South Carolina just a week later on March 18. McHugh and Juric then knocked off No. 19 FIU to close out the weekend at the Tiger Beach Challenge.
The duo also helped the Green Wave to a 4-1 upset win over No. 12 Arizona State, defeating the Sun Devils' No. 2 pair in straight sets on March 31. More recently, Juric and McHugh have come away with wins over No. 7 LSU (4/9) and another over then-No. 12 South Carolina.
With their team-leading record, Juric and McHugh helped the Green Wave reach 20 wins on the season for just the second time in program history and the second consecutive year.
This year's honor marks the second straight season Juric has earned a spot on the All-Conference team.
As Tulane's leading first-year player, McHugh is joined on the All-Freshman Team by Francesca Goncalves, a unanimous selection from Florida State, Claire Coppola of LSU and South Carolina's Ali Denney and Katie Smith.
"Kaylie has an extraordinary work ethic and a great volleyball mind, and she absolutely loves competing," Holly said. "I'm so happy to see her recognized for everything she does for our team. To be recognized among our conference's class of outstanding freshman says a lot about Kaylie. I'm grateful for this opportunity to coach and learn with her on a daily basis."
Juric and McHugh look to add to their season win total this weekend at the second annual CCSA Conference Championships in Emerson, Georgia, where Tulane will open against Florida State on Friday morning.
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