BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Coastal Carolina beach volleyball capped off its weekend at the Blazer Beach Bash hosted by UAB with two more wins on Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala. The Chants swept ULM 5-0 and then came back from behind to defeat host UAB 3-2 in the tournament finale.
Coastal has now won five-straight matches and improved to 7-1 on the season.
Match 1: Coastal Carolina 5, ULM 0
After posting a pair of 5-0 wins on Friday over Eastern Kentucky and Nicholls State, the Chants came out on Saturday and swept the ULM Warhawks 5-0.
The freshmen tandem of
Madison Allred and
Kaitlyn Holbrook got things started with a 21-61, 21-19 win at the No. 5 flight to put the Chants up 1-0 early.
At the No. 4 flight, the duo of
Abby Sharlun and
Kalin Eske overcame a second-set loss to defeat Elizabeth Moreland and Abbie Elder 21-12, 19-21, 15-13 to keep the women in teal on top in the match at 2-0.
The next three matches went in favor of the Chants in straight sets, as
Sydney Alvis and
Viktoria Fink cruised past Gabby Love and Kayla Gallant 21-10, 21-15 at No. 1, while the pair of
Irena Drobnjak and
Sarlota Svobodova earned a 21-12, 21-17 victory at the No. 2 position.
The team of
Lucy Campbell and
Martine Kragholm capped off the shutout win with a 21-12, 21-19 victory at the No. 3 flight over Audrey Brooks and Holland Ponthieux.
Match 2: Coastal Carolina 3, UAB 2
The Chants faced their first adversity of the weekend in the tournament finale versus host UAB, as the home-standing Blazers took a 2-0 lead with wins at No. 4 and 5 flights only to see the Chants storm back to win the next three flights and pick up a 3-2 come-from-behind match win.
After UAB won at flights No. 4 and 5 to take a 2-0 lead, the Chants got a big-time win at No. 1 by Alvis and Fink who held on for a 21-17, 25-23 victory over Kenley Adams and Emma Andraka.
CCU evened the match up at 2-2 with a victory at No. 3, as Campbell and Kragholm overcame a first-set loss to take the match 19-21, 21-17, 15-5 over Ella Alexander and Brittney Munro.
It call came down to court No. 2, where Drobnjak and Svobodova dropped the first set 19-21 and won the second set 21-17 to force a decisive set three. The final set went down to the wire, however, the first-year Chants held off Abbey Thorup and Salli Anne Napolitano for a 16-14 win to give Coastal the 3-2 match victory.
CCU (7-1) will be back in action next weekend as the Chants will compete at the CofC Beach Bash in Charleston, S.C. on March 7-8.
Results
Match 1: Coastal Carolina 5, ULM 0
- Sydney Alvis/Viktoria Fink (CCU) def. Gabby Love/Kayla Gallant (ULM) - 21-20, 21-15
- Irena Drobnjak/Sarlota Svobodova (CCU) def. Grace Convey/Julia Blazek (ULM) – 21-12, 21-17
- Lucy Campbell/Martine Kragholm (CCU) def. Audrey Brooks/Holland Ponthieux (ULM) – 21-12, 21-19
- Abby Sharlun/Kalin Eske (CCU) def. Elizabeth Moreland/Abbie Elder (ULM) – 21-12, 19-21, 15-13
- Madison Allred/Kaitlyn Holbrook (CCU) def. Bailey Smith/Allie Kemp (UML) – 21-16, 21-19
Order of finish (5, 4, 1, 2, 3)
Match 2: Coastal Carolina 3, UAB 2
- Sydney Alvis/Viktoria Fink (CCU) def. Kenley Adams/Emma Andraka (UAB) – 21-17, 25-23
- Irena Drobnjak/Sarlota Svobodova (CCU) def. Abbey Thorup/Salli Anne Napolitano (UAB) – 19-21, 22-20, 16-14
- Lucy Campbell/ Martine Kragholm (CCU) def. Ella Alexander/Brittney Munro (UAB) – 19-21, 21-17, 15-5
- Annie Pringle/Sarah Dickson (UAB) def. Abby Sharlun/Kalin Eske (CCU) – 21-19, 21-13
- Arden Copping/Jenna Gathright (UAB) def. Madison Allred/Kaitlyn Holbrook (CCU) – 21-16, 21-15
Order of finish (4, 5, 1, 3, 2)
