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NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers beach volleyball team (6-2) will get a second crack at the Tulane Green Wave in the first of two matches at the Green Wave Invitational. The Privateers will also play Coastal Carolina with both matches occurring on Saturday at White Sands Volleyball Courts in Elmwood. Both matches will be broadcast on CST.
The Privateers had another 3-1 weekend at the March to May with their only loss coming to Tulane. During the weekend, the Privateers handed Spring Hill their first loss of the season. Wins against Austin Peay and Southland foe, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi followed.
Veronica Corcoran and
Rachel Kuhn head into the weekend with a 7-1 record at No. 1. Of their seven wins, six have been decided in straight sets.
The Privateers have also received a boost at No. 5 with the pairing of
Alexa Spartz and
Maxine Walsh who enter the weekend with a 5-1 mark. Spartz and Walsh won their match last weekend against Tulane (21-19, 23-21).
Madison Miller and
Rhyan Rand have also racked up five victories at No. 4. The Miller-Rand tandem has won both of their three-set matches including last weekend against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
FROM COACH VAN NORDEN
"We've tried to take each loss and learned what we needed to do to get better. It's not about getting satisfied with the record but knowing how we want to be competing by the end of the season."
"I thought the first time we played a competitive match against Tulane. We had opportunities we weren't able to capitalize on. Tulane's style of play really pushed us to be more prepared in our training and we're really excited about tomorrow."
ABOUT THE COMPETITION
Tulane (9-7) has already had six matches against schools ranked in the AVCA poll. The Green Wave also participated in the March to May in Gulf Shores, Ala. They went 4-1 with the only loss coming to #16 Georgia State. Tulane scored a 4-1 victory over the Privateers.
Kaylie McHugh and Eva Torruella have gone 12-4 at No. 1 this season. Lauren Orlich and Rio Frohoff have gone 7-2 over their last nine matches at No. 2 with the only losses in that span coming against Georgia State and Southern Miss.
Tulane was ranked 18
th in the preseason poll. Though they've dropped out of the top 20 since, the Green Wave have received votes in the last two weekly poll releases.
Coastal Carolina (7-3) is coming off a 1-1 showing at the Coastal Carolina Duals. The Chanticleers absorbed a 5-0 loss against #10 South Carolina but bounced back to edge UNCW 3-2. Before heading to Elmwood, the Chanticleers will play #4 LSU on Friday in Baton Rouge.
Kate Federico and Tanner Gauthier head into the weekend with a 7-3 mark at No. 3. Annett Nemeth and Kaylin Eske have the same record at No. 4. Leah Hardeman and Sydney Alvis have been the Chanticleers' top pairing for all 10 matches and have registered six wins. The other two losses by Coastal Carolina this season have both come against Spring Hill.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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