NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers beach volleyball team navigated through a tough weekend schedule and pushed the Oregon Ducks to the limit in the Green Wave Invitational at White Sands.
The Privateers played nationally ranked Tulane and also had a 2-1 lead against Oregon who was just outside the Preseason AVCA poll.
The weekend started against South Florida on Friday with Ellie and
Cassie Sieling scoring the first point of the season for the Privateers. The pair of mid-year transfers won 21-19, 21-11 at flight one.
New Orleans came within a few points of snagging another match at flight two with
Brooke Dow and
Ashley Salazar, but South Florida's flight two pair rallied to win 19-21, 21-13, 16-14.
In the Friday nightcap, the Privateers played Spring Hill and got wins from their top two flights. The Sieling twins won 21-17, 21-11 while Dow and Salazar took their first set in extra rallies on their way to a 25-23, 21-12 win. However, the Badgers won the remaining flights including a three-set match at flight five to take the overall dual.
On Saturday, the Privateers got out to a 2-1 lead against Oregon.
Lindsey Neal had a match clinching block at flight five as she and
Mona Salgado won 21-18, 21-18. Salazar and Dow also overcame a late Ducks rally, which scored the second set. The Privateers' flight two pair won their third set 15-12 to put the Privateers up 2-1.
Oregon won the last two matches at flights one and three in straight sets to finish the match.
The host Tulane Green Wave defeated the Privateers 5-0 to close the weekend. The Green Wave won all of their matches in straight sets.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will play four matches in the Cowgirl Beach Bash next weekend in Lake Charles.
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