Beach Privateers Set to Make 2023 Southland Championships Run

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx. - The No. 4 New Orleans Privateers beach volleyball program will open the double-elimination 2023 Southland Conference Championship in Corpus Christi, Tx. against No. 5 Southeastern. Opening serve is set for 12:15 p.m. CT. Live statistics will be available here.

New Orleans ended the regular season at the Privateer Beach Invitational last weekend with an 18-15 record. In the sole home tournament, the Privateers went 2-2 with wins over SFA and losses to both ULM and Southeastern. 

The Privateers could only come up with one point at court two in their last meeting against the Lions. However, they lead the overall battle 2-1 on the season beating the Lions in two consecutive weekends at the Sugar Beach Invite and the Bayou Beach Duals. 

Kicking off competition for the Privateers will be juniors Serena Baumgart and Ivana de Carvahlo Piexe at court five and freshman Valentina Echeverri and senior Rita Zecchin at court four. 

In their 14 games as a pair, Baumgart and Carvahlo have won six including a match over Southeastern's Mabry Ward and Ysabella Lockwood at the five position. Baumgart has an additional win under her belt over Ward and Lockwood with Rita Zecchin as her partner earlier this season. Echeverri and Zecchin, who are 4-15, look to get their first victory against the Lions as a pair. 

At court three, seniors Valerie Vujnovich and Hannah Volpi will look to contribute to a first-round victory after having already defeated Alexis Logarbo and Carley Petty twice this season. The pair is 16-27 on the season, winning six out of their last eight matches. 

With a team-best and conference best 24-7 record, the first team all-conference pair of Alexa Spartz and Trinity Jackson look to remain undefeated against the Lions at court two. Spartz and Jackson have defeated the Lions in all three meetings with two being in straight sets. The dynamic duo has won nine of their last 11 matchups. 

With an 18-13 record, the top pair of senior Ania Esarte and freshman Maria Ozaeta will work to not only get New Orleans a match closer to the championship but also a match closer to a 20-win season as a pair. Prior to the last meeting against the Lions, the Spain natives have topped them twice in straight sets. 

The winner of the match will play the top-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 2:30 p.m. CT.

The Privateers have only faced the Islanders once in a 3-0 loss that went unfinished due to an inclement weather threat. The Islanders (21-9) are undefeated against Southland Conference competition this season. 

The team that drops the New Orleans/ Southeastern match falls into the elimination bracket where their first match will be against either third-seeded Boise State or sixth-seeded San Jose State at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

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