Beach Volleyball Claims First Win With 3-2 Victory Over Spring Hill

POSTGAME QUOTES

METAIRIE, Louisiana – It took a little longer than expected and was delayed a bit due to inclement weather but the University of New Orleans beach volleyball team picked up the first win in program history with a 3-2 victory over Spring Hill in day one of the Pelican Classic hosted by Tulane University on Friday afternoon at White Sands.

UNO was midway through the second set in No. 4 and 5 play in the morning before lightning and a steady rain forced the match to be halted. Once the action resumed, however, the Privateers gave everything they had – and then some – to come out with the win. Things looked bleak for a moment as the match was tied at 2-2 and UNO No. 3 pair of junior Brooklyn Frank and freshman Samantha Uline found themselves down 7-1, 8-4 and 13-10 in the third set before rallying to take the extra frame, 16-14, to spark the Privateer celebration.

"Sam and Brook have been a testament to how we want every pair to be in terms of mentality, perseverance and how they continue to work together no matter what the scoreboard says," UNO head coach Millicent Van Norden said. "They were our first pairs winner in Florida, so it was good that they were able to come back after being down. I think they were the better team today. They just had a few more errors than they typically do and it was nice to see them pull it off.

"I know we're been on the tipping point with some of the pairs. Of course everything was not perfect today, especially with the weather delay and having to wait to compete, but the way they came back and fought through every situation and winning in a tie-breaker set after being down five or six points is a really good sign of the direction the program is heading."

The match-clinching rally on Court 3 was hardly the only nail-biting moment of the day for UNO as four of the five point-scoring pairs contests went to three sets. Freshman Blessing Dunn and senior Lauren Levy won their opening set over Virginia Hicks and Catherine Milwee 21-13 before dropping the second, 21-11. The Privateer duo bounced back to score the team's first point with a 16-14, set-three win.

It was the exact opposite in No. 5 play, however, as Spring Hills' Emily Greim and Molly Griffin sandwiched wins of 21-19 and 15-12 around a 21-17 victory by sophomore Camila Lau and senior Milica Zmiric to tie the match at 1-1. The Badgers tandem of Madison Seuzeneau and Julie Vujnovich put Spring Hill on the brink of victory with a 21-15, 21-13 win over freshman Kaitlin Grice and senior Celeste Ramirez at the top of the lineup, but that would be their final point of the day.

Freshman Shaylene Reimer and sophomore Cara Sander tied the match at 2-all with a 21-12, 17-21, 15-7 win over Dorina Klinger and Anna Tietjens in No. 2 action before Frank and Uline bounced back from a 21-18 loss to Brodner and Herrera with a 21-15, set-two win to set up the late dramatics.

The Privateers also played an exhibition match against Spring Hill where freshman Lane Hindeburg and junior Courtney Roblez joined forces to defeat teammate Madison Miller and  the Badgers' Katie Beth Gammons 18-21, 21-18, 15-13.

"I wasn't worried about the delay part because we'd have a little rest and we picked up the scores right where we left off," Van Norden said. "Just loosing focus and having to redirect from the location, those sorts of things were what we were concerned about. Maybe they wouldn't be able to come back with that same intensity level or that same anxiousness they had before starting play. Overall, they did well. It was good to see them get a win under their belts. Seeing them play with confidence and cheering for each other as a team was really nice."

The weather earlier in the day forced the postponement of the schedule match against LSU until tomorrow. Because of time constraints, White Sands will use two sets of courts to conduct the action on Saturday as each team's 4 and 5 pair will play on the two-court dunes while each program's 1, 2 and 3 will play in the larger facility. UNO's 4 and 5 will open play against Missouri Baptist at 9 a.m. while the top of the lineup will face the Spartans an hour later. In addition, the Privateers will face host Tulane and LSU with respective start times of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
 
NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (1-7) DEFEAT SPRING HILL BADGERS (3-6): 3-2
No. 1: Madison Seuzeneau / Julie Vujnovich (SHC) def. Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) – 21-15, 21-13
No. 2: Shaylene Reimer / Cara Sander (UNO) def. Dorina Klinger / Anna Tietjens (SHC) – 21-12, 17-21, 15-7
No. 3: Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) def. Sara Brodner / Caroline Herrera (SHC) – 18-21, 21-15, 16-14
No. 4: Blessing Dunn / Lauren Levy (UNO) def. Virginia Hicks / Catherine Milwee (SHC) – 21-13, 11-21, 16-14
No. 5: Emily Greim / Molly Griffin (SHC) def. Camila Lau / Milica Zmiric (UNO) – 21-19, 17-21, 15-12
Exh.: Lane Hindenburg / Courtney Roblez (UNO) def. Madison Miller (UNO) / Katie Beth Gammons (SHC) – 18-21, 21-18, 15-13