Beach Volleyball Drops Doubleheader In Day 2 Of Blazer Beach Duals

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – It was a day to grow on for the University of New Orleans beach volleyball team as the Privateers dropped a pair of contests to ULM and Spring Hill in the day two of the Blazer Beach Duals on Saturday at the Blazer Beach Courts.

After falling in straight sets to the Warhawks (7-8), UNO (3-12) had a chance to earn a Saturday split as the Privateers held a 2-1 lead with wins in No. 3 and 5 action. From there, however, the Badgers (5-10) rallied for three-set wins in each of the top two spots in the lineup to send the team away wondering what might have been.

Spring Hill opened the nightcap with a 21-13, 21-12 win by Sara Brodner and Caroline Herrera over junior Courtney Roblez and senior Milica Zmiric in No. 4 play before the Privateers' freshman duo of Blessing Dunn and Madison Miller bounced back from a 21-16 opening-set loss to defeat Virginia Hicks and Catherine Milwee 23-21 and 15-10 to tie the match at 1-all.

UNO took a critical decision on Court 3 where senior Lauren Levy and sophomore Cara Sander sandwiched 21-11 and 15-12 wins over Molly Griffin and Hannah Masoner around a 22-20 set-two loss to put the Privateers up one, but opening-set wins in both No. 1 and No. 2 play would not hold up. Following junior Brooklyn Frank and freshman Samantha Uline's 21-18 set-one win in No. 2 action, Spring Hill's Dorina Kligner and Anna Tietjens rallied with 24-22 and 15-8 wins the rest of the way to tie the match. It was a similar story at the top of the lineup where freshman Kaitlin Grice and senior Celeste Ramirez won the opener over Madison Seuzeneau and Julie Vujnovich 21-17 before dropping the next two 23-21 and 17-15.

ULM, meanwhile, won four of the five pairs contests in straight sets during the Privateers' first match of the day with the lone three-frame showdown coming at the No. 4 spot where Roblez and Zmiric bounced back from a 21-16 loss to Claire Crossfield and Tara Jenkins with a 21-15 set-two win only to drop the extra stanza 15-4.

Catherine Griffith and Bayleigh Hoffman preceded the win on Court 4 with a 21-8, 21-13 victory over Dunn and Miller in No. 5 play. The No. 2 tandem of Delaney Driver and Kaitlyn Shearer clinched the Warhawks' win with a 21-9, 21-17 decision over Frank and Uline. ULM completed the sweep with a 21-11, 21-18 victory over Levy and Sander on Court 3 while Hope Pawlik and Taylor Zaeske downed Grice and Ramirez in No. 1 play 21-12, 21-18.

New Orleans return to action on Thursday, April 7, when they play host to Spring Hill at the Privateer Beach Courts (which is located behind the Human Performance Center on the corner of Elysian Fields and Leon C. Simon. First serve for that contest is slated for 4 p.m. From there, UNO next play in Houston where the team will face Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on April 15.
 
ULM WARHAWKS (7-8) DEFEAT NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (3-11): 5-0
No. 1: Hope Pawlik / Taylor Zaeske (ULM) def. Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) – 21-12, 21-18
No. 2: Delaney Driver / Kaitlyn Shearer (ULM) def. Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) – 21-9, 21-17
No. 3: Hadley Swartz / Kori Simpson (ULM) def. Lauren Levy / Cara Sander (UNO) – 21-11, 21-18
No. 4: Claire Crossfield / Tara Jenkins (ULM) def. Milica Zmiric / Courtney Roblez (UNO) – 21-16, 15-21, 15-4
No. 5: Catherine Griffith / Bayleigh Hoffman (ULM) def. Blessing Dunn / Madison Miller (UNO) – 21-8, 21-13
 
SPRING HILL BADGERS (5-10) DEFEAT NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (3-12): 3-2
No. 1: Madison Seuzeneau / Julie Vujnovich (SHC) def. Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) – 17-21, 23-21, 17-15
No. 2: Dorina Klinger / Anna Tietjens (SHC) def. Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) – 18-21, 24-22, 15-8
No. 3: Lauren Levy / Cara Sander (UNO) def. Molly Griffin / Hannah Masoner (SHC) – 21-11, 20-22, 15-12
No. 4: Sara Brodner / Caroline Herrera (SHC) def. Courtney Roblez / Milica Zmiric (UNO) – 21-13, 21-12
No. 5: Blessing Dunn / Madison Miller (UNO) def. Virginia Hicks / Catherine Milwee (SHC) – 16-21, 23-21, 15-10