Tulane Rolls to Two Wins to Finish Green Wave Invitational

Sunday, February 26

NEW ORLEANS

9:30 A.M. & 10:45 A.M.

Tulane University

North Alabama

Photo by: Parker Waters

Tulane Rolls to Two Wins to Finish Green Wave Invitational

Feb 26, 2023 | Women's Beach Volleyball

ELMWOOD, La.– Tulane University Beach Volleyball picked up two wins on the second and final day of the Green Wave Invitational at White Sands Volleyball Courts on Sunday. The Green Wave defeated North Alabama 4-1 to begin the day before wrapping up the two-day event with a 5-0 sweep of Nicholls.

"It was a glorious weekend for beach volleyball," head coach Eyal Zimet said. "The weather and atmosphere made up for a fantastic experience! We are grateful for the opportunity to compete and test ourselves early in the season in front of our loyal fans. I am proud of our team for believing in each other, showing resilience, and giving 110% effort each play throughout the weekend. We have a ton to be proud of, lots to work on, and plenty to look forward to! Roll Wave!"

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The fourth flight for the Wave, Abby Jackson and Ashton Mares, put Tulane on top to open the match against UNA by winning in two sets, 21-19, 21-10. Savka Popovic and Lara Torruella made it 2-0 in favor of the Green Wave with a two-set win (21-14, 21-15) at the No. 5 position. The match against the Lions was clinched by Emily Heintzelman and Samantha Mehlman in another two-set victory (21-14, 21-15) as flight three. Mollie Eberitn and Kendall Peters battled to add one more win for the Wave at the No. 1 position with a three-set win (19-21, 22-20, 15-13).

Tulane returned to the courts in the afternoon to take on the Colonels in the final dual match of the weekend. The Green Wave jumped out to the lead with a two-set win (21-6, 21-9) from flight five Ainsley Patrick and Simone Gibson. The freshman pairing of Molly Trodd and Sam O'Connor followed with a two-set win (21-10, 21-19) from position No. 4 before Maddie Speicher and Sara Hall clinched the match from position No. 1 winning in two sets, 21-13, 21-15. The duos of Jackson/Mares and Heintzelman/Mehlman each added two-set victories of their own to complete the 5-0 sweep for Tulane.

Twelve players notched double-digit kills on the day for Tulane. Ebertin posted the most kills in a single match with 18 against UNA while Speicher led the Wave with 13 aces against Nicholls.

Up next, the Green Wave will travel to Nacogdoches, Texas, for the SFA Invitation on Friday, March 3.

Sunday Results – Feb. 26
Tulane 4, North Alabama 1
1. Mollie Ebertin/Kendall Peters (Tulane) def. Paula Klemperer/Taylor Seney (UNA) 19-21, 22-20, 15-13
2. Maddie Speicher/Sara Hall (Tulane) def. Katie Floyd/Mackenzie Martin (UNA) 21-17, 21-17
3. Emily Heintzelman/Samantha Mehlman (Tulane) def. Selma Robinson/Martha McLaurin (UNA) 21-14, 21-15
4. Abby Jackson/Ashton Mares (Tulane) def. Natalie Kordt/Jelena Girod 21-19, 21-10
5. Savka Popovic/Lara Torruella (Tulane) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Katie Gerig 21-14, 21-15
(Exh.) Simone Gibson/Ainsley Patrick (Tulane) def. Abby Robertson/Caroline Conkle 21-10, 21-12

Tulane - #5 LSU (Exh.)
(Exh.) Josie Vondran/Kelly McCloskey (LSU) def. McKenzie Cutler/Izzy Mitchell/Samantha Green (Tulane) 21-15, 22-20
(Exh.) Elizabeth Masters/Paige Flickinger (LSU) def. Sam O'Connor/Molly Trodd 21-18, 21-19
(Exh.) Aubrey O'Gorman/Madison Meyers (LSU) def. Alexandra Hennessey/Kara Griffin-Ruwin (Tulane) 21-12, 21-17

Tulane 5, Nicholls 0
1. Sara Hall/Maddie Speicher (Tulane) def. Kennedi Steele/Aspen Steele (Nicholls) 21-13, 21-15
2. Emily Heintzelman/Samantha Mehlman (Tulane) def. Katie Jones/Luciana Chuong (Nicholls) 21-11, 21-9
3. Abby Jackson/Ashton Mares (Tulane) def. Selma McKenna Malone/McKay Wilson (Nicholls) 21-11, 21-9
4. Molly Trodd/Sam O'Connor (Tulane) def. Bethanie Durant/Alisha Wischkaemper (Nicholls) 21-10, 21-19
5. Ainsley Patrick/Simone Gibson (Tulane) def. Hailey Mason/Ja'Mya Holmes (Nicholls) 21-6, 21-9
(Exh.) McKenzie Cutler/Samantha Green (Tulane) def. Kendall Battistella/Taylor Heeb (Nichols) 21-11, 21-11

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