Beach Volleyball Drops 3-2 Heartbreaker To Spring Hill

QUOTES

NEW ORLEANS – It was a day of excitement for the University of New Orleans beach volleyball team and all the factors lined up in near perfection. Playing their first-ever home contest at the UNO Beach Courts, the Privateers took to the dunes under clear and sunny skies, a cook breeze was blowing and a slew of fans – ranging from fellow student-athletes, the UNO student body, family, friends and spectators – were on hand for Thursdays' event.

The only fly in the ointment came in the final outcome as the New Orleans squad dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Spring Hill. With the match tied at 2-2 and the No. 1 tandem of freshman Kaitlin Grice and senior Celeste Ramirez knotted at one set apiece against the Badgers' tandem of Madison Seuzeneau and Julie Vujnovich, the UNO pair appeared to be in control of the third-and-match-deciding frame with a 12-8 lead. The Spring Hill duo, however, scored seven of the contests' final 15 points, including a 3-0 rally to cap things off.

Grice and Ramirez took the opener, 21-19, before Seuzeneau and Vujnovich answered with a 21-16 decision in the second set to send things to a winner-take-all scenario. After squandering a four-point lead, UNO appeared to regain the upper hand at 13-12, but Ramirez served long, Seuzeneau recorded a service ace and Grice hit one into the net to account for the final score.

"This was the same scenario as last weekend," UNO head coach Millicent Van Norden said. "It came down to our position one, it went to a deciding set and we lost by two. I did feel that KG and Celeste were in control most of the match, but at critical points they made some careless and unforced errors. When you're up 13-12, you can't miss your serve like that. We've got to get better. We've got to get more mentally engaged if we want to win."

The Privateers got off to a good start as the No. 5 tandem of freshmen Blessing Dunn and Madison Miller rallied from a 21-14, set-one loss to post 25-23 and 15-8 wins over Virginia Hicks and Catherine Milwee to stake UNO to the early lead. Spring Hill tied the match with a 21-17, 21-16 victory by Sara Brodner and Caroline Herrera over junior Courtney Roblez and senior Milica Zmiric before senior Lauren Levy and sophomore Cara Sander put the home team on the cusp of victory with a 21-19, 21-16 decision over Molly Griffin and Hannah Masoner in No 3 action.

In No. 2 play, junior Brooklyn Frank and freshman Samantha Uline gave Spring Hill's Dorina Klinger and Anna Tietjens everything they could handle, and then some, but came up short in back-to-back 22-20 losses to set up the drama at the top of the lineup.

New Orleans returns to action on Friday, April 15, when the Privateers travel to Houston to take on host Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the HBU Invitational. Those contests are slated to start at 1 and 3:15 p.m., respectively.
 
SPRING HILL BADGERS (8-11) DEFEAT NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (3-13): 3-2
No. 1: Madison Seuzeneau / Julie Vujnovich (SHC) def. Kaitlin Grice / Celeste Ramirez (UNO) – 19-21, 21-16, 15-13
No. 2: Dorina Klinger / Anna Tietjens (SHC) def. Brooklyn Frank / Samantha Uline (UNO) – 22-20, 22-20
No. 3: Lauren Levy / Cara Sander (UNO) def. Molly Griffin / Hannah Masoner (SHC) – 21-19, 21-16
No. 4: Sara Brodner / Caroline Herrera (SHC) def. Courtney Roblez / Milica Zmiric (UNO) – 21-17, 21-16
No. 5: Blessing Dunn / Madison Miller (UNO) def. Virginia Hicks / Catherine Milwee (SHC) – 14-21, 25-23, 15-8