Beach Volleyball To Close Out 2016 At LSU Battle At The Beach

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans beach volleyball team will look to end its second season on the dunes on a high note when the Privateers head to Baton Rouge to part in the LSU Battle At The Beach over the weekend at Mango's Beach Volleyball Club.

UNO will open play in the season-ending tournament on Saturday with a 10 a.m. showdown against host LSU before squaring off against Houston Baptist and New Mexico at noon and 4 p.m., respectively. The Privateers will wrap up the 2016 campaign on Sunday with matches against TCU at 10 a.m. and vs Tulane at 2 p.m.

"I'd like to finish the season on a high note, which could really shift our momentum as we bring in some strong talent in the 2016 [recruiting] class," New Orleans head coach Millicent Van Norden said. "I believe that everyone to this point can see the direction we are going and all we have put into training and development this year should show in our final outing."

UNO enters the LSU Battle At The Beach 3-15 on the year and looking to snap a five-match skid dating back to April 2. The record, however, is not indicative of the way the Privateers have played this season – especially of late – as three of those losses have come by scores of 3-2.

The last time out, New Orleans dropped a 4-1 decision to Houston Baptist and came up short in a 3-2 decision to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi back on April 15 at the HBU Invitational. The upcoming contest against the Huskies is one of three revenge opportunities for the Privateers as UNO twice played LSU and took on Tulane once previously.

"We will have an opportunity to rematch against some teams where we know we were arms' length away from finishing on top," Van Norden said. "We have seen all season that no matter the ranking, if we play with a lower ratio of error we will have a chance to win. I believe, with the way that we have trained all season, we are prepared for the load of five matches. I don't believe that fatigue will be a factor. As long as we consciously stay hydrated, we should recover quickly from match to match."

The UNO tandems of junior Brooklyn Frank and freshman Samantha Uline along with senior Lauren Levy and sophomore Cara Sander share the team lead with five pairs victories apiece. Levy leads the way individually with seven total victories, teaming with freshman Blessing Dunn for two more wins.

The Privateers will have a tough task row to hoe this weekend as LSU enters the weekend ranked ninth in the nation, followed by New Mexico at No. 16 and Tulane at No. 18. The host Lady Tigers lead the field with an 18-8 overall record and are one of four teams on hand with 16-plus wins as Tulane is 17-15, TCU is 16-6 and New Mexico is 16-7.

"I am hopeful that we can put all of the pieces together this weekend," Van Norden added. "We need to have low-error, self-disciplined play where we control our energy, effort and tempo."