Tulane Beach Volleyball Announces 2019 Schedule
Jan 4, 2019 | Women's Beach Volleyball
NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane beach volleyball team has finalized its schedule for the 2019 season, head coach Wayne Holly announced on Friday.
The Green Wave are set to match up against 12 nationally ranked opponents in the program's eighth season, competing in seven matches against Top 10 opponents per the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll in May of 2018.
"Our 2019 schedule will challenge us with some of the best competition in the country, give us an opportunity to showcase the strength of our team and allow us to build a resume for postseason consideration," Holly said. "Competition in the CCSA [Coastal Collegiate Sports Association] has always been tough so we've scheduled every team in the conference to ensure we have the best of regional competition. We're looking forward to the start of the season."
The Olive and Blue will open their season against national runner-up and CCSA opponent No. 2 Florida State in the FSU Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 23. Tulane will also face Tampa in the Tallahassee tournament on Saturday before competing against No. 10 Cal Poly and conference-foe No. 6 LSU on Sunday to round out its opening weekend on the road.
The Green Wave will head to Fort Worth, Texas the following weekend to participate in the Horned Frog Challenge on March 1 and 2. Tulane will start the tournament off with a match against No. 18 Grand Canyon, before facing conference opponents TCU and No. 11 Georgia State on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Wave will close their second weekend of competition with a matchup against Missouri State.
Tulane is set to continue on the road for a third consecutive weekend, traveling to Gulf Shore, Alabama to face five opponents in the March to May on March 8 and 9. The Green Wave will compete against CCSA's UAB and Southern Miss on Friday, along with in-state foe New Orleans on the opening day. Tulane will face Georgia State for a second time in 2019 on Saturday before finishing the weekend with a matchup against Houston Baptist.
The Green Wave open action in New Orleans on March 16, hosting the Green Wave Invitational. Tulane will face Coastal Carolina in its sole home matchup on Saturday before competing against New Orleans for a second time this season.
The team heads back on the road but remains in Louisiana for the following weekend, participating in the two-day Tiger Beach Challenge in Baton Rouge. Tulane will face both Southern Miss and LSU again on March 23 before matching up against North Florida and Spring Hill on March 24.
The Green Wave have a quick five-day turnaround for its next set of matchups, competing against No. 16 Stetson to kick off the FIU Surf and Turf in Miami on March 29. Tulane will face conference opponents for the remainder of the weekend, taking on TCU and No. 20 FAU on Friday before finishing the weekend with a second match of the season against FSU and another against No. 9 FIU.
Tulane has a two week break before finishing the regular season with the Palmetto Invitational in Columbia, South Carolina on April 12 and 13. The Green Wave are set to face conference foes UNCW, No. 8 South Carolina and College of Charleston before matching up against Missouri State on Saturday to conclude the weekend competition.
The CCSA Conference Championship is set for April 19 to 21 in Emerson, Georgia. The Green Wave defeated UAB and College of Charleston on day two of the competition in 2018 after falling 3-2 to both No. 9 South Carolina and No. 10 FIU on day one.
The NCAA National Championship will be held two weeks after the CCSA Championship, from May 3 to 5 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Tulane finished the 2018 season ranked No. 17 in the AVCA Poll and No. 15 in the DiG Volleyball Magazine Poll while earning a national ranking for the fifth consecutive year. Last season also marked the Green Wave's third consecutive season of recording at least 20 wins and fourth straight of at least 18 wins.
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