Beach Volleyball's Mertz, McHugh Named AVCA Top Flight Award Winners
May 3, 2018 | Women's Beach Volleyball
AVCAÂ Release
NEW ORLEANS - Senior Madeline Mertz and sophomore Kaylie McHugh were named 2018Â American Volleyball Coaches Association Top Flight Award winners, the organization announced Thursday.
"This new award from the AVCA is a great concept because it honors pairs who stay together and perform at a consistently high level," head coach Wayne Holly said. "I'm proud to see Maddy and Kaylie honored in this way. To learn how to create success with a single partner is a great skill that they've worked hard to develop."
The award, which is in its inaugural year, recognizes excellence in beach volleyball from all over the country and across all flights, rewarding hard work and consistent play regardless of roster position. In order for a pair to be eligible for the award, two athletes must compete in at least 15 matches together and at a specific flight number. Should that pair win at least 75% of their matches – regardless of the overall result of the dual – those athletes will achieve "Top Flight" status.
Mertz and McHugh played as Tulane's No. 1 duo throughout the season, posting a 30-7 record with 11 victories against ranked opponents. The pair dominated for much of the year, with 24 of their 30 wins coming in straight sets.
The Green Wave's top duo was named to the 2018 CCSA Beach Volleyball All-Conference Team in a unanimous selection and earned the conference's Pair of the Week honors once during the regular season. Mertz and McHugh were also named to the CCSA All-Tournament Team at the 2018 CCSA Championship after going 3-1 with a win over No. 9 FIU's top pair.
Mertz and McHugh recorded their 30th win of the season at the CCSA Championship, tying them with Jackie Wegner and Tea Juric (2016) for most wins in a single season in program history. Individually, Mertz recorded the 100th win of her career in the first day at the CCSA Championship, becoming just the second athlete in program history to achieve the feat.
ROLL WITH THE WAVE
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
Follow Tulane beach volleyball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for live results, updates and news. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.
-----
2018Â AMERICANÂ VOLLEYBALLÂ COACHESÂ ASSOCIATION (AVCA)Â TOP FLIGHT AWARD WINNERS
Flight 1
Â
Flight 2
Â
Â
Flight 3
Â
Flight 4
Â
Flight 5
NEW ORLEANS - Senior Madeline Mertz and sophomore Kaylie McHugh were named 2018Â American Volleyball Coaches Association Top Flight Award winners, the organization announced Thursday.
"This new award from the AVCA is a great concept because it honors pairs who stay together and perform at a consistently high level," head coach Wayne Holly said. "I'm proud to see Maddy and Kaylie honored in this way. To learn how to create success with a single partner is a great skill that they've worked hard to develop."
The award, which is in its inaugural year, recognizes excellence in beach volleyball from all over the country and across all flights, rewarding hard work and consistent play regardless of roster position. In order for a pair to be eligible for the award, two athletes must compete in at least 15 matches together and at a specific flight number. Should that pair win at least 75% of their matches – regardless of the overall result of the dual – those athletes will achieve "Top Flight" status.
Mertz and McHugh played as Tulane's No. 1 duo throughout the season, posting a 30-7 record with 11 victories against ranked opponents. The pair dominated for much of the year, with 24 of their 30 wins coming in straight sets.
The Green Wave's top duo was named to the 2018 CCSA Beach Volleyball All-Conference Team in a unanimous selection and earned the conference's Pair of the Week honors once during the regular season. Mertz and McHugh were also named to the CCSA All-Tournament Team at the 2018 CCSA Championship after going 3-1 with a win over No. 9 FIU's top pair.
Mertz and McHugh recorded their 30th win of the season at the CCSA Championship, tying them with Jackie Wegner and Tea Juric (2016) for most wins in a single season in program history. Individually, Mertz recorded the 100th win of her career in the first day at the CCSA Championship, becoming just the second athlete in program history to achieve the feat.
ROLL WITH THE WAVE
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
Follow Tulane beach volleyball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram for live results, updates and news. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.
-----
2018Â AMERICANÂ VOLLEYBALLÂ COACHESÂ ASSOCIATION (AVCA)Â TOP FLIGHT AWARD WINNERS
Flight 1
| Team | College | Wins | Losses |
| Paula Hoffman/ Kaitlyn Sibson | Eckerd | 18 | 0 |
| Emily Maglio/ Ka'iwi Schucht | Hawaii | 25 | 1 |
| Abril Bustamante/ Tina Graudina | USC | 28 | 2 |
| Vanessa Freire/ Victoria Paranagua | Florida State | 14 | 2 |
| Darby Dunn/ Sammee Thomas | Stetson | 18 | 4 |
| Megan McNamara/ Nicole McNamara | UCLA | 31 | 7 |
| Federica Frasca/ Margherita Bianchin | FIU | 26 | 6 |
| Kristen Nuss/ Claire Coppola | LSU | 30 | 7 |
| Madeline Mertz/ Kaylie McHugh | Tulane | 30 | 7 |
| Aeriel Horton/ Jessica Wooten | Houston Baptist | 24 | 6 |
| Hayley Tippett/ Megan Nash | Central Arkansas | 13 | 4 |
Flight 2
| Team | College | Wins | Losses |
| Hailey Luke/ Katie Horton | Florida State | 17 | 0 |
| Morgan Martin/ Lea Monkhouse | Hawaii | 19 | 0 |
| Corinne Quiggle/ Deahna Kraft | Pepperdine | 14 | 1 |
| Carly Perales/ Sunniva Helland-Hansen | Stetson | 22 | 2 |
| Sam Manley/ Emily Sonny | Cal Poly SLO | 25 | 4 |
| Sarah Sponcil / Lily Justine | UCLA | 30 | 7 |
| Cadie Bates/ Katie Smith | South Carolina | 16 | 4 |
| Terese Cannon/ Sammy Slater | USC | 18 | 5 |
| Brooke Weiner/ Tiffany Creamer | Georgia State | 16 | 5 |
Â
Flight 3
| Team | College | Wins | Losses |
| Sara Putt/ Macy Jerger | Florida State | 16 | 0 |
| Laurel Weaver/ Carly Kan | Hawaii | 17 | 1 |
| Savvy Simo/ Zana Muno | UCLA | 18 | 2 |
| Kristyna Adamcikova/ Hailey Harward | Long Beach State | 16 | 2 |
| Adlee Van Winden/ Taylor Nelson | Cal Poly SLO | 19 | 3 |
| Catherine Griffith/ Rebecca Brown | ULM | 15 | 4 |
| Julia Mannisto/ Carly Schneider | South Carolina | 19 | 6 |
| Tenley Housler/ Erin Umbel | Texas A&M Kingsville | 21 | 7 |
Flight 4
| Team | College | Wins | Losses |
| Alexis Filippone/ Skylar Caputo | Pepperdine | 25 | 2 |
| Jenna Belton/ Jo Kremer | USC | 15 | 2 |
| Brooke Kuhlman/ Molly McBain | Florida State | 13 | 2 |
| Elise Zappia/ Mac May | UCLA | 19 | 3 |
| Amy Ozee/ Ari Homayun | Hawaii | 32 | 6 |
| Leah Perri/ Macie Tendrich | South Carolina | 19 | 4 |
| Mia Merino/ Caroline Schafer | Cal | 23 | 5 |
| Emmy Allen/ Megan Davenport | LSU | 18 | 5 |
| Julie Varga/ Lauren Durham | Stetson | 18 | 5 |
| Zoi Konstantopoulou/ Nicci Reinking | Long Beach State | 18 | 5 |
| Julie Nightwine/ Victoria Prokic | Stevenson | 13 | 4 |
Flight 5
| Team | College | Wins | Losses |
| Francesca Goncalves/ Eva Torruella | Florida State | 15 | 1 |
| Megan Muret/ Izzy Carey | UCLA | 27 | 3 |
| Grace Campbell/ Maddie Micheletti | Cal | 27 | 3 |
| Paige Dreeuws/ Hannah Zalopany | Hawaii | 24 | 6 |
| Hannah Matt/ Marisa Ramsey | Long Beach State | 23 | 6 |
| Maddie Ligon/ Riley Young | LSU | 14 | 4 |
| Rebecca Ingram/ Quinci Birker | Stetson | 18 | 6 |
| Kristen Castellanos/ Cierra Simpson | LMU | 12 | 4 |
| Maddie Dilfer/ Nikki Lyons | Pepperdine | 12 | 4 |
Players Mentioned
L
/ Women's VolleyballTulane Beach Volleyball Court Side Chat w/ Head Coach Eyal Zimet
Tuesday, January 30
2020 Beach VB Season Highlights
Wednesday, May 27
2019 Fall Tulane Beach Volleyball Tournament
Sunday, November 10
Tulane Beach Volleyball Highlights vs ULM
Wednesday, October 23
