Tulane Travels to Huntsville for AVCA Central Qualifiers

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Tulane beach volleyball team continues its fall slate this weekend with the AVCA Beach Central Qualification Tournament hosted by Rally Volleyball. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday at the John Hunt Sand Volleyball Courts and will be the final tune-up prior to the AVCA Pairs National Championships, which will take place at the same venue in Huntsville, Alabama.

The event is split into two divisions: a bid division and an open division. The bid division is a 32-pair tournament played to place that will award four bids to the AVCA Pairs National Championship. Pairs are bound for this division with no substitutions allowed. The open division features pool play occurring over the course of the two days. Pairs are not bound in this division and may be substituted between matches. Tulane already owns the maximum allotment of two bids, so the Green Wave cannot attain another bid regardless of any pairs' finishes this weekend. However, the event will still serve as a high-end tune-up for the AVCA Pairs National Championships.

Ten total programs will be in action this weekend. Tulane and Chattanooga have both earned the maximum of two bids, and UT Martin enters the weekend owning one bid already. The remaining seven teams are in search of at least a first bid: Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Mercer, North Alabama, Southern Miss, Tennessee Tech, and UAB.

The Wave will have a trio of pairs competing in the bid division. Skylar Ensign and Gigi Gallegos will open against a pair from Tennessee Tech at 9:00 a.m. Saturday. Tawny Ensign and Hannah Foor will begin their weekend against a UT Martin pair at 10:15 a.m., and the duo of Katie Hansen and Kaydence Stormes will take to the courts at the same time against another pair from Tennessee Tech. Action from the bid division will be played through the quarterfinals on Saturday with Sunday's play featuring the semifinals and finals. In the open division, Tulane will compete across five different pools each day.

Two weekends ago Tulane competed in the first AVCA Central Pairs Qualifier in Kenner, Louisiana, and delivered a strong showing to clinch that coveted second bid. Tawny Ensign and Kaydence Stormes were the duo to bring the bid home, placing third in the tournament.

Next up for the Wave will be the AVCA Pairs National Championship November 6 through 8 in Huntsville, Alabama. Tulane will be represented by two pairs in the event as the Wave looks to claim a title. The event is the penultimate fall competition as the fall finale takes place on Friday, November 20, at White Sands Beach Volleyball Courts when Tulane hosts the Tulane Pairs Tournament. The Green Wave will then set its sights on the spring season and a defense of its 2026 Conference USA championship.

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Players Mentioned

Skylar Ensign

Tawny Ensign

Hannah Foor

Gigi Gallegos

Katie Hansen

Kaydence Stormes

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