Tulane Earns Second Bid to AVCA Pairs National Championships

Saturday, October 10

Kenner, LA

Tulane University

AVCA Pairs Qualifier

Photo by: Kelsey McHugh

Tulane Earns Second Bid to AVCA Pairs National Championships

Oct 11, 2026 | Women's Beach Volleyball

By: Wyatt Streett

KENNER, La. – The Tulane Green Wave beach volleyball program finished day two of the AVCA Central Pairs Qualifier strong with a 14-4 overall record as the team secured a second bid the AVCA Pairs National Championship. Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes placed third in the bid division to notch the bid for Tulane as the Wave secured wins over two of three other divisions with a runner-up placement in the third at Coconut Beach Volleyball Complex.

In the bid division, Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes continued their quest to secure a second bid to nationals for the Green Wave as they opened with a quarterfinal contest against a pair from LSU New Orleans. The Tulane tandem swept the Privateers by scores of 21-7 and 21-15, moving on to the semifinals. They matched up with the top-seeded pair from LSU, falling in two sets, 21-15, 21-10. This moved them to the third-place match against a pair from Southeastern Louisiana, where the Wave tandem secured the win to claim the bid for Tulane.

With the bid division played to place, in the consolation bracket Skylar Ensign and Katie Hansen opened against a pair from Southern Miss and secured a 21-13, 21-19 sweep. In their next round they faced a tandem from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and won in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-15. They moved to the finals of the consolation bracket and played a pair from LSU New Orleans, winning in straight sets by scores of 21-17 and 21-16. With that triumph, Ensign and Hansen secured ninth place among the 16 pairs in the bid division.

Outside of the bid division, action concluded across the other three non-bid divisions, aqua, blue, and pink, with their respective playoff brackets. In the aqua division, Tulane notched the No. 2 seed for the gold playoffs and opened with a sweep of a pair from McNeese State. The tandem of Elly Beshears and Liz Selinger claimed set wins of 21-10 and 21-13. Selinger then teamed with Gabby Dwyer against an LSU pair, winning in three sets. The Tigers claimed the first 21-16 before the Wave duo won 21-16 and 15-11 to advance to the finals. Dwyer and Ciela Hendrickson represented the Wave against another LSU pair, winning in three sets to claim the aqua division crown.

The blue division started off today by finishing off the final pool play matches. Naomi Lygas and Lauren Mann notched a straight-set win over LSU, 21-17, 21-16, to earn the top seed for the blue division gold playoffs. Beshears and Lygas won in dominant fashion over a pair from McNeese with a 21-7, 21-16 sweep. This earned Tulane a championship match against an LSU pair, which Olivia Johnson and Mann won in straight sets with a 21-14 margin in both sets.

Tulane saw its highest representation in the pink division with three pairs in the pink gold playoffs with the second, third, and fourth seeds. The fourth seed, represented by Loreta Cabule and Hendrickson, played an LSU pair in the opening round, falling in straight sets 21-14 and 21-19. The third seed opened against a pair from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and won in three sets. Johnson and Gabbi Kucinski fell in the opening from 21-19 before rallying for wins of 21-17 and 19-17 to claim the match. The second seed also played LSU, winning in two sets. Hannah Foor and Gigi Gallegos won the first set 21-18 before outlasting the Tigers in a 26-24 marathon. This set up an intra-Wave match-up in the semifinal with Cabule and Johnson facing Foor and Hendrickson. Cabule and Johnson claimed a straight-set win with a 21-19 margin in both frames. Gallegos and Kucinski played LSU in the third-place match, falling in three sets (19-21, 25-23, 11-15). In the final, Foor and Selinger also played LSU and fell in two sets (21-15, 21-12) to secure second place.

Tulane will be back in action for its second of three-straight AVCA events October 24 and 25 for the AVCA Team Event. The event takes place in Huntsville, Alabama.

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.

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 green waveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.