Beach Volleyball Posts First Sweep In 5-0 Win Over Missouri Baptist

METAIRIE, Louisiana – Less than 24 hours after posting the first win in school history, the University of New Orleans beach volleyball team accomplished another first with a 5-0 sweep of Missouri Baptist in day two of the Pelican Classic hosted by Tulane University on Saturday at White Sands.

The win over the Spartans was the first time in 33 matches since the inception of the Privateer beach program that New Orleans won pairs in all five spots in the lineup and each of those victories came in straight sets. The momentum of UNO's two-match winning streak, however, could not carry the team through the weekend as the Privateers fell to host Tulane and LSU, 5-0 each, to finish with a 2-2 record during the tournament.

New Orleans got things going early on against Missouri Baptist as both the No. 4 and No. 5 pairs held the Spartans to a combined 19 points in the two wins. Freshman Blessing Dunn and senior Lauren Levy scored UNO's first point of the match with a 21-11, 2-18 win over Molly Fox and Karlie Mezo on Court 4 while sophomore Camila Lau and senior Milica Zmiric followed suit on Court 5 with a 21-11, 21-8 victory over Cammi Davis and Alli Schmermach.

As they had done during Friday's win over Spring Hill, the UNO tandem of junior Brooklyn Frank and freshman Samantha Uline clinched the victory from the No. 3 spot in the lineup with a 21-10, 21-7 decision over Audree Morecraft and Peyton Yoder. Freshman Kaitlin Grice and senior Celeste Ramirez put the Privateers up 4-0 with a 2-16, 21-19 win over Marion Coraud and Mallory Dillon in No. 1 action with the duo of freshman Shaylene Reimer and sophomore Cara Sander completing the sweep with a 21-15, 21-5 victory over Jen Brendel and Hannah Carey at No. 2.

While UNO came up short in its matches against Tulane and LSU, those two contests were not without their highlights. Against the host Green Wave, the Lau and Zmiric bounced back from a 21-11 loss in the opening set to Hannah Holmes and Sarah Strasner and gave the pair all they could handle before ultimately falling short in the second set, 21-18. In No. 3 play. Frank and Uline overcame a 21-11 opening-set loss with a 25-23 set-two win only to drop the final frame 15-10.

In the matchup with the Tigers, Grice and Ramirez came within a heartbeat of posting a win at the top of the lineup, rallying from a 21-11 loss in the opener, forcing a third set with a 25-23 win in the second, and falling just shy in the third 15-13.

The Privateers return to action on Friday, April 1, when they open play in the Blazer Beach Duals with a 1 p.m. showdown against host UAB in Birmingham, Alabama. UNO will also take on Jacksonville State on that Friday with first serve set for 3 p.m., while facing ULM and Spring Hill on Saturday morning at 8:30 and 11:30, respectively.
 
NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (2-7) DEFEAT MISSOURI BAPTIST SPARTANS (0-7): 5-0
No. 1: Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) def. Marion Couraud / Mallory Dillon (MBU) – 21-16, 21-19
No. 2: Shaylene Reimer / Cara Sander  (UNO) def. Jen Brendel / Hannah Carey (MBU) – 21-15, 21-5
No. 3: Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) def. Audree Morecraft/Peyton Yoder (MBU) – 21-10, 21-7
No. 4: Blessing Dunn  / Lauren Levy (UNO) def. Molly Fox  / Karli Mezo (MBU) – 21-14, 21-5
No. 5: Camila Lau / Milica Zmiric (UNO) def. Cammi Davis / Alli Schmermach (MBU) – 21-11, 21-8
 
TULANE GREEN WAVE (9-3) DEFEAT NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (2-8): 5-0
No. 1: Tea Juric / Jackie Wegner (TUL) def. Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) – 21-12, 21-12
No. 2: Madeline Mertz / Lan Nguyen (TUL) def. Shaylene Reimer / Cara Sander  (UNO) – 21-9, 21-12
No. 3: Anna Chin / Briana Correa (TUL) def. Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) – 21-11, 23-25, 15-10
No. 4: Miah Diirell / Christina McAfee (TUL) def. Blessing Dunn  / Lauren Levy (UNO) – 21-14, 21-12
No. 5: Hannah Holmes / Sarah Strasner (TUL) def. Camila Lau / Milica Zmiric (UNO) – 21-11, 21-18
 
LSU TIGERS (8-3) DEFEAT NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (2-9): 5-0
No. 1: Lilly Kessler / Mandi Orellana (LSU) def. Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) – 21-11, 23-25, 15-13
No. 2: Jeni Clark / Addison Hoven (LSU) def. Shaylene Reimer / Cara Sander  (UNO) – 21-13, 21-15
No. 3: Cheyenne Wood / Riley Young (LSU) def. Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) – 21-13, 21-10
No. 4: Roxanne McVey / Carly Morris (LSU) def. Blessing Dunn  / Lauren Levy (UNO) – 21-15, 21-13
No. 5: Victoria Boraski / Megan Davenport (LSU) def. Camila Lau / Milica Zmiric (UNO) – 21-11 21-9