Tulane University
Florida State University
Beach Volleyball Falls to No. 4 Florida State, No. 10 FIU in Day One of Pool Play
Apr 21, 2017 | Women's Beach Volleyball
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EMERSON, Ga. – A founding member of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, Tulane beach volleyball made its second annual pilgrimage to LakePoint, Georgia this weekend to open up the CCSA Conference Championships at the Rally Volleyball Complex on Friday afternoon. In the first day of pool play, the Green Wave faced a pair of top ten national seeds in No. 4 Florida State and No. 10 FIU, falling 0-5 to the Seminoles and 1-4 to the Panthers for an 0-2 start to the weekend.
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QUOTE
"We played well at times and have improved in several areas, including in our serving, but overall we continue to struggle to perform our skills consistently and to play fearlessly. We need to mentally unlock our potential and not accept the results we are earning lately against our conference opponents."
--Tulane head coach Wayne Holly
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No. 4 FLORIDA STATE 5, TULANE 0
The Green Wave opened up their stay at the CCSA Conference Championships taking on No. 1 seeded Florida State, battling the Seminoles on every court but falling 5-0 to the No. 4 team in the nation.
Tulane's No. 3 pair of Tarin Mergener and Madeline Mertz shined in their 2017 CCSA Championship debut, starting off by knocking off FSU's Macy Jerger and Sierra Sanchez on a score of 21-19 in set one. The Seminoles would even it up at one set apiece on a close score of 21-17, forcing a third set for the first time on the morning.
With the score tied 1-1, Tulane and FSU battled for the lead throughout the contest, but the Wave came just shy of a court three upset, falling 15-13 for the Seminoles' fifth win of the day.
Tea Juric and Kaylie McHugh also put on an impressive performance from court one but couldn't notch a set win over the tournament's top seed, falling in back-to-back 21-19 decisions in their second weekend at the top of the Tulane lineup.
Florida State sealed its second win of the weekend after the Green Wave dropped straight-set losses to the Seminoles on courts four, five and two. Â
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No. 10 FIU 4, TULANE 1
Tulane briefly got back into the win column in the afternoon match against FIU, but the Panthers came away with wins on the remaining four courts as the Green Wave fell 1-4 to wrap up day one at conference championships.
The Wave's sole win of the afternoon came on court three, as Mergener and Mertz teamed up for another solid outing to defeat the Panthers in straight sets on scores of 21-19 and 21-16.
Tulane's No. 3 duo kept the Olive and Blue in the game following back-to-back losses on courts four and five, but the Panthers sealed the dual win as Juric and McHugh fell 21-17, 21-16 in the No. 1 spot.
Down 1-3, the Green Wave battled for a second win over the Panthers on court two, with Lan Nguyen and Annie Shurtz taking set one 21-17. Tulane's No. 2 duo came up just shy of a straight-set victory on a 21-19 mark in the second set, as the Panthers forced a third outing. With both teams cheering from the sidelines, Nguyen and Shurtz battled FIU's Katie Friesen and Taija Thomas in the final match of the afternoon, but the Panthers would emerge victorious on a score of 15-10. Â Â
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UP NEXT
Tulane will close out pool play at the CCSA Tournament on Saturday, taking on UNC Wilmington for a 9:30 a.m. start and wrapping up with No. 12 South Carolina at 12:30.
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 CCSA Conference Championships
#4 FLORIDA STATE 5, TULANE 0
No. 1 Leigh Andrew/Brooke Kuhlman (FSU) def. Tea Juric/Kaylie McHugh (TUL) 21-19, 21-19
No. 2 Vanessa Freire/Victoria Paranagua (FSU) def. Lan Nguyen/Annie Shurtz (TUL) 21-15, 21-17
No. 3 Macy Jerger/Sierra Sanchez (FSU) def. Tarin Mergener/Madeline Mertz (TUL) 19-21, 21-17, 15-13
No. 4 Katie Horton/Francesca Goncalves (FSU) def. Anna Chin/Sarah Strasner (TUL) 21-12, 21-16
No. 5 Hailey Luke/Eva Torruella (FSU) def. Briana Correa/Christina McAfee (TUL) 21-19, 21-11
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3
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No. 10 FIU 4, TULANE 1
No. 1 Bianca Bianchin/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Tea Juric/Kaylie McHugh (TUL) 21-17, 21-16
No. 2 Katie Friesen/Taija Thomas IFIU) def. Lan Nguyen/Annie Shurtz (TUL) 17-21, 21-19, 15-10
No. 3 Tarin Mergener/Madeline Mertz (TUL) def. Helen Thelle/Naty Giron (FIU) 21-19, 21-16
No. 4 Lina Bernier/Katie Hogan (FIU) def. Anna Chin/Sarah Strasner (TUL) 21-12, 21-11
No. 5 Bela Sataric/Teffy Bethancourt (FIU) def. Christina McAfee/Briana Correa (TUL) 21-13, 21-15
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2
