Tulane University
UNC Wilmington
Beach Volleyball Makes Program History with 2-0 Day at CCSA Championships
Apr 22, 2017 | Women's Beach Volleyball
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EMERSON, Ga. – Tulane's beach volleyball squad made history on more than one account in day two of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Conference Championships, fighting to a 2-0 finish on the afternoon with an upset win of No. 12 South Carolina and a 5-0 sweep of UNC Wilmington.
The Green Wave, who now sit at 22-13 for the most single-season wins in program history, notched their first-ever conference tournament wins and, for the first time, put themselves in position for a semifinal bid at the Lakepoint Sporting Community's Rally Volleyball Complex in Emerson, Georgia.
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QUOTE
"I'm really happy with the girls for playing terrific volleyball, particularly in the second match today. To defeat a great team like South Carolina is a testament to our players' drive and their desire to show the rest of this great conference how well Tulane can play. Last year at this tournament, we didn't do as well as we wanted, but now we're moving in the right direction. That says a lot about our players because it's their commitment that is going to win for us in the long term."
--Tulane head coach Wayne Holly
TULANE 5, UNCW 0
The Green Wave secured their first-ever program win at a CCSA Conference Championship on Saturday morning, opening their second day at the Lakepoint Sporting Community with a 5-0 sweep of UNCW with four of five courts going in straight sets. Tulane has now defeated the Seahawks in every meeting this year, two of those three wins coming from match sweeps.
After a hot start on Friday for Tarin Mergener and Madeline Mertz, Tulane's No. 3 pair continued their winning ways against UNCW, turning in the first Green Wave win of the day in a dominating 2-0 victory. Mergener and Mertz swept the Seahawks on scores of 21-17 and 21-13 for a win over UNCW's Katie McCullough and Sarah Kelley to give Tulane an early 1-0 lead in the dual.
Looking to bounce back from a narrow loss to FIU the day before, Tulane's court two pairing of Lan Nguyen and Annie Shurtz outlasted UNCW's Emily Corrigan and Maddy Kline in set one for a 21-19 victory. In set two, the Green Wave fell behind early, and Nguyen and Shurtz found themselves in an early 11-3 hole. Up 1-0 in the match, the pair would outscore the Seahawks 18-5 in the remainder of the set to seal Tulane's second victory of the day.
The Green Wave sealed their first-ever conference tournament win on court one with strong performances from All-Conference pair Kaylie McHugh and Tea Juric, who made a hard final hit for the kill to complete their 21st sweep of the 2017 season on scores of 21-16 and 21-15.
Following a fight to the finish in a 24-22 set one, Tulane's court five pair of Christina McAfee and Briana Correa notched the fourth Green Wave sweep of the day, downing UNCW 21-16 for a 4-0 lead in the match.
Anna Chin and Sarah Strasner were the final Tulane competitors to turn in results, playing to three sets on court four with UNCW's Sydney Alvis and Bella Borgiotti. Chin and Strasner defeated the Seahawks 21-17 in set one but fell just short of a match sweep in the second set, as the Seahawks forced a third outing on a score of 21-19. With both teams cheering on, Tulane's No. 4 pair held their opponents to just seven points in the third set, completing the dual sweep on a score of 15-7.
TULANE 3, No. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA 2
After starting off the morning on a high note, Tulane was poised to once again make program history in a 3-2 upset win over No. 12 South Carolina, a dual that saw three of five courts decided in the third set. The dramatic win was Tulane's first over the Gamecocks this season and second all-time since the teams first met in 2015.
Tulane started off in an early 1-0 hole after the Gamecocks took court five on straight sets to open the dual, but the Green Wave would quickly even things up with a similar 2-0 victory on court one. McHugh and Juric opened up with a 21-16 decision over Katie Smith and Adrianna Culbert in the No. 1 position, hanging on for a 23-21 finish in the second set as the pair improved to a team-leading 27-8 on the season.
Mergener and Mertz dropped a nail-biting 23-21 loss to open up on court three, but the pair bounced back to keep their weekend momentum rolling on scores of 21-11 and 15-13 to seal Tulane's second win of the day.
Up 2-1 in the match, Tulane had a chance to win it all on court four, rebounding from a 21-12 loss in set one to force a third outing on a close set-two score of 21-19. Though Chin and Strasner held an early lead, they could not hold off the Gamecocks' No. 4 pair and fell 15-13.
With the dual evened at two matches apiece, all eyes turned to court two, where Nguyen and Shurtz were also in a head-to-head battle with the Gamecocks. Tulane's No. 2 pair had taken the first set on an easy 21-13 decision but dropped set two in a tight 24-22 final as South Carolina forced a third set for the third time on the afternoon. The junior-senior pair held the lead for the majority of the match, and as tensions ran high between the two teams, Shurtz and Nguyen sealed the dual victory and Tulane's second win of the day with a 15-9 set-three win.
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UP NEXT
Tulane will close out the 2017 beach volleyball season at the New Orleans Duals, taking on Houston Baptist and UNO at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively, on the Privateers' Lakefront campus next Saturday, April 29. Following the match, the Green Wave will honor five graduating seniors.
Fans can keep up with the latest in Tulane beach volleyball action by following the team on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Results from Day Two of the CCSA Conference Championships
TULANE 5, UNCW 0
No. 1 Kaylie McHugh/Tea Juric (TUL) def. Tanna Aljoe/Nicole Lott (UNCW) 21-16, 21-15
No. 2 Lan Nguyen/Annie Shurtz (TUL) def. Emily Corrigan/Maddy Kline (UNCW) 21-19, 21-16
No. 3 Tarin Mergener/Madeline Mertz (TUL) def. Katie McCullough/Sarah Kelly (UNCW) 21-17, 21-13
No. 4 Anna Chin/Sarah Strasner (TUL) def. Sydney Alvis/Bella Borgiotti (UNCW) 21-17, 19-21, 15-7
No. 5 Christina McAfee/Briana Correa (TUL) def. Racquel Rooney/Halle Hunt (UNCW) 24-22, 21-16
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1, 5, 4
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TULANE 3, No. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA 2
No. 1 Kaylie McHugh/Tea Juric (TUL) def. Katie Smith/Adrianna Culbert (USC) 21-16, 23-21
No. 2 Lan Nguyen/Annie Shurtz (TUL) def. Ali Denney/Shannon Williams (USC) 21-13, 22-24, 15-9
No. 3 Tarin Mergener/Madeline Mertz (TUL) def. Macie Tendrich/Katie Zimmerman (USC) 21-23, 21-11, 15-13
No. 4 Julia Mannisto/Carly Schneider (USC) def. Anna Chin/Sarah Strasner (TUL) 21-12, 19-21, 15-13
No. 5 Jade Vitt/Franky Harrison (USC) def. Christina McAfee/Briana Correa (TUL) 21-18, 21-17
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3, 4, 2
