Tulane University
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Beach Volleyball Goes 1-1 Friday, Defeats UNC Wilmington
Apr 12, 2019 | Women's Beach Volleyball
COLUMBIA, South Carolina – The Tulane beach volleyball team went 1-1 on Friday to open action in the Palmetto Invitational, pulling out a tight 3-2 win over UNC Wilmington before falling to No. 11 South Carolina, 4-1.
"We did a lot of very good things today and earned another important conference win," head coach Wayne Holly said. As a team, we showed some real grit today. On an individual note, Kaylie [McHugh] and Eva [Torruella] played some of their best volleyball of the season for us on the No. 1 court. That's a great sign heading down the stretch. I'm also very proud of our Ellie [Leitko] and Haley [Gibson], who pulled out a terrific three-set win with the dual on the line against UNC Wilmington."
After falling on courts four and five, Tulane battled back in its first match of the day with wins on courts one and two to tie the match at 2-2. Juniors Kaylie McHugh and Eva Torruella took down UNCW's Maddy Kline and Katie McCullough at the No. 1 position in straight sets, 21-14 and 21-16, to put the Green Wave on the board with a win.
Sophomore Lauren Orlich and junior Tarin Mergener kept the wins going for the Olive and Blue, beating Lexie Hamilton and Jaime Thomas from the No. 2 spot, with 21-15 and 21-16 scores, to force the tie-breaking match on court three.
After dropping the first set, freshmen Ellie Leitko and Haley Gibson were able to pull out the come-from-behind victory to solidify the win for Tulane, taking the next two sets with 21-16 and 15-13 scores over JM Lewandowski and Halle Hunt.
McHugh and Torruella continued with their impressive performance in the team's second match of the day, defeating the Gamecocks' No. 1 pair in Shannon Williams and Cadie Bates in two sets.
The Green Wave are back at it on Saturday, taking on the College of Charleston at 10 a.m. and Missouri State at 2 p.m.
Tulane 3, UNCW 2
1. Kaylie McHugh/Eva Toruella (TU) def. Maddy Kline/Katie McCullough (UNCW) 21-14, 21-16
2. Lauren Orlich/Tarin Mergener (TU) def. Lexie Hamilton/Jaime Thomas (UNCW) 21-15, 21-16
3. Ellie Leitko/Haley Gibson (TU) def. JMLewandowski/Halle Hunt (UNCW) 14-21, 21-16, 15-13
4. Raquel Rooney/Brynn Montgomery (UNCW) def. Gabriella Becerra/Morgan Esters (TU) 21-12, 21-16
5. Reagan Evans/Anna Grauel (UNCW) def. No player/No player (TU), by forfeit
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1, 2, 3
No. 11 South Carolina 4, Tulane 1
1. Eva Toruella/Kaylie McHugh (TU) def. Shannon Williams/Cadie Bates (SC) 24-22, 21-13
2. Katie Smith/Lydia Dimke (SC) def. Lauren Orlich/Tarin Mergener (TU) 10-21, 21-17, 15-8
3. Franky Harrison/Hannah Edelman (SC) def. Haley Gibson/Ellie Leitko (TU) 21-18, 21-19
4. Whitley Ballard/Jess Vastine (SC) def. Gabriella Becerra/Morgan Esters (TU) 28-26, 18-21, 15-4
5. Carly Schnieder/Lauryn Gillis (SC) def. No player/No player (TU), by forfeit
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1, 3, 2
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