Photo by: Kelsey McHugh
Green Wave Delivers Strong Showing on Day One of AVCA Qualifier
Oct 10, 2026 | Women's Beach Volleyball
KENNER, La. – The defending Conference USA champion Tulane beach volleyball program opened its fall slate with a bang Saturday, posting an 18-2 record across all divisions in the AVCA Central Pairs Qualifier at Coconut Beach Volleyball Complex. The tandem of Kaydence Stormes and Tawny Ensign highlighted the action as they advanced to the quarterfinals of the bid division as the Green Wave chases a second bid to the AVCA Pairs National Championship.
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Action was split across four divisions, the bid division and a trio of non-bid divisions: aqua, blue, and pink. Tulane saw action across all four divisions. Already owning one bid to the AVCA Pairs National Championship via the spring season's success, the Wave is aiming to claim the maximum second bid.
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The bid division opened with modified pool play as the 16 pairs were split into four pools of four pairs. Tulane's first pair of Skylar Ensign and Katie Hansen played in pool 2, opening with a 21-12, 21-15 triumph over a pair from LSU New Orleans. This set up a contest against a pair from Southern Miss, which the Wave duo won 21-18, 21-15. In pool 4, Tulane was represented by Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes. They opened with a win over Southern Miss's other pair, 21-10, 21-13. This led to a three-set thriller against a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The Wave tandem prevailed, 22-20, 18-21, 15-13.
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After modified pool play, the pairs were seeded for the AVCA bid bracket, which is played to place within the top eight. Seeded fourth, T. Ensign and Stormes played the 13th-seeded pair from ULM in round one and claimed another three-set win, 21-6, 19-21, 15-7. S. Ensign and Hansen were seeded second and opened against the 15th seed from Southeastern Louisiana, but they fell in two sets, 21-18, 21-18, to ultimately tie for ninth.
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In the aqua division there were four pools with Tulane in just pool 2. Opening the action, Gabby Dwyer and Gabbi Kucinski swept a pair from LSU New Orleans by scores of 21-17 and 21-15. A duo of transfers into the program made their Green Wave debuts together as Olivia Johnson and Hannah Foor teamed up to best a pair from Southeastern Louisiana 21-19, 21-19. Pool play concluded with Elly Beshears and Kucinski playing a three-set contest against a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The Wave tandem lost the first set 21-19 before winning the second 21-17. The third set went the way of the Islanders, 15-12, as Tulane was 2-1 overall in the aqua division to tie Southeastern Louisiana and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
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The blue division featured two pools with Tulane active in pool 1. Tulane was 3-0 through today's matches, tying LSU for the top spot with more to play tomorrow. Beshears and Gigi Gallegos opened action in this pool with a 21-18, 21-13 triumph over a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. Beshears then teamed with Dwyer to power past a pair from LSU New Orleans, 21-16, 21-5. The third and final match of the day in the blue division for the Wave saw Loreta Cabule and Lauren Mann face a team from ULM and win, 21-18, 21-7.
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Rounding out the divisions, the pink division featured four pools with Tulane seeing action in three of them to the tune of a trio of 3-0 performances. Pool 2 opened with Ciela Hendrickson and Johnson sweeping a team from LSU New Orleans with 21-8 margins in both sets. Hendrickson then paired with another freshman, Naomi Lygas, against a pair from McNeese State. The Wave tandem earned a hard-fought sweep by sets of 22-20 and a marathon of 29-27. Gallegos and Johnson rounded out the action with a three-set victory over LSU. After losing set one 21-17, they bounced back with wins of 22-20 and 19-17 to claim the match. In pool 3, Cabule teamed with fellow freshman Liz Selinger for a 21-14, 25-23 victory over a pair from LSU New Orleans. Cabule then teamed with Gallegos for a 21-18, 21-15 victory over a team from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The final tandem in pool 3 was Hendrickson and Selinger, who bested an LSU pair 21-15, 21-13. Pool 4 opened with Foor and Mann winning in three sets over a duo from Southeastern Louisiana. After dropping set one 21-19, they rallied for wins of 21-18 and 15-10 to claim the match. Kucinski and Selinger combined for a sweep of a Southern Miss tandem, 21-16, 21-13. Closing out Tulane's action on the day, Foor and Lygas combined to best a Texas A&M – Corpus Christi pair 21-19, 21-14.
The event concludes tomorrow with Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes chasing a second bid to the AVCA Pairs National Championship. In the AVCA bid bracket, they will play a pair from LSU New Orleans at 10:10 a.m. in a quarterfinal match-up. Beyond the bid division, Tulane is scheduled to see one more match in the blue division. At 8:30 a.m., Elly Beshears and Gigi Gallegos are set to do battle against a pair from LSU.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball, and men's and women's basketball, and baseball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
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 ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane beach volleyball at @GreenWaveBeach on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
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Action was split across four divisions, the bid division and a trio of non-bid divisions: aqua, blue, and pink. Tulane saw action across all four divisions. Already owning one bid to the AVCA Pairs National Championship via the spring season's success, the Wave is aiming to claim the maximum second bid.
Â
The bid division opened with modified pool play as the 16 pairs were split into four pools of four pairs. Tulane's first pair of Skylar Ensign and Katie Hansen played in pool 2, opening with a 21-12, 21-15 triumph over a pair from LSU New Orleans. This set up a contest against a pair from Southern Miss, which the Wave duo won 21-18, 21-15. In pool 4, Tulane was represented by Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes. They opened with a win over Southern Miss's other pair, 21-10, 21-13. This led to a three-set thriller against a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The Wave tandem prevailed, 22-20, 18-21, 15-13.
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After modified pool play, the pairs were seeded for the AVCA bid bracket, which is played to place within the top eight. Seeded fourth, T. Ensign and Stormes played the 13th-seeded pair from ULM in round one and claimed another three-set win, 21-6, 19-21, 15-7. S. Ensign and Hansen were seeded second and opened against the 15th seed from Southeastern Louisiana, but they fell in two sets, 21-18, 21-18, to ultimately tie for ninth.
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In the aqua division there were four pools with Tulane in just pool 2. Opening the action, Gabby Dwyer and Gabbi Kucinski swept a pair from LSU New Orleans by scores of 21-17 and 21-15. A duo of transfers into the program made their Green Wave debuts together as Olivia Johnson and Hannah Foor teamed up to best a pair from Southeastern Louisiana 21-19, 21-19. Pool play concluded with Elly Beshears and Kucinski playing a three-set contest against a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The Wave tandem lost the first set 21-19 before winning the second 21-17. The third set went the way of the Islanders, 15-12, as Tulane was 2-1 overall in the aqua division to tie Southeastern Louisiana and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
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The blue division featured two pools with Tulane active in pool 1. Tulane was 3-0 through today's matches, tying LSU for the top spot with more to play tomorrow. Beshears and Gigi Gallegos opened action in this pool with a 21-18, 21-13 triumph over a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. Beshears then teamed with Dwyer to power past a pair from LSU New Orleans, 21-16, 21-5. The third and final match of the day in the blue division for the Wave saw Loreta Cabule and Lauren Mann face a team from ULM and win, 21-18, 21-7.
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Rounding out the divisions, the pink division featured four pools with Tulane seeing action in three of them to the tune of a trio of 3-0 performances. Pool 2 opened with Ciela Hendrickson and Johnson sweeping a team from LSU New Orleans with 21-8 margins in both sets. Hendrickson then paired with another freshman, Naomi Lygas, against a pair from McNeese State. The Wave tandem earned a hard-fought sweep by sets of 22-20 and a marathon of 29-27. Gallegos and Johnson rounded out the action with a three-set victory over LSU. After losing set one 21-17, they bounced back with wins of 22-20 and 19-17 to claim the match. In pool 3, Cabule teamed with fellow freshman Liz Selinger for a 21-14, 25-23 victory over a pair from LSU New Orleans. Cabule then teamed with Gallegos for a 21-18, 21-15 victory over a team from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. The final tandem in pool 3 was Hendrickson and Selinger, who bested an LSU pair 21-15, 21-13. Pool 4 opened with Foor and Mann winning in three sets over a duo from Southeastern Louisiana. After dropping set one 21-19, they rallied for wins of 21-18 and 15-10 to claim the match. Kucinski and Selinger combined for a sweep of a Southern Miss tandem, 21-16, 21-13. Closing out Tulane's action on the day, Foor and Lygas combined to best a Texas A&M – Corpus Christi pair 21-19, 21-14.
The event concludes tomorrow with Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes chasing a second bid to the AVCA Pairs National Championship. In the AVCA bid bracket, they will play a pair from LSU New Orleans at 10:10 a.m. in a quarterfinal match-up. Beyond the bid division, Tulane is scheduled to see one more match in the blue division. At 8:30 a.m., Elly Beshears and Gigi Gallegos are set to do battle against a pair from LSU.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball, and men's and women's basketball, and baseball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
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 ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane beach volleyball at @GreenWaveBeach on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
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