BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Coastal Carolina beach volleyball team capped its weekend at the Blazer Beach Bash with two more wins on Sunday in Birmingham, Ala. The Sandy Chants posted a 4-1 win over ULM in the first match and then ended the weekend with a 3-2 win over Mercer.
The two wins push the Chants' record to 22-6 on the season and set a new program record for single-season wins. The previous record was 21 wins in 2019.
Match 1: Coastal Carolina 4, ULM 1
Coastal Carolina (21-6) opened day two of play at the Blazer Beach Bash with a 4-1 win over ULM (14-19).
The Chants opened the match with a 23-21, 21-12 victory at the No. 5 flight by the team of
Carli Ginther and
Ellie Hanford before ULM tied the match score up at 1-1 with a 21-17, 18-21, 15-10 three-set win at the No. 4 flight.
However, the Chants would pick up back-to-back straight-set wins from the team of
Lucy Campbell and
Martine Kragholm (21-19, 21-18) at flight No. 2 and the duo of
Kendra Lukacs and
Sarah Riedell (21-15, 21-10) at flight No. 3 to take a 3-1 lead and seal the match win.
The top flight team of
Irena Drobnjak and
Sarlota Svobodova closed out the match with a three-set 18-21, 21-13, 15-7 victory to put the final score at 4-1 in favor of the Chanticleers.
Match 2: Coastal Carolina 3, Mercer 2
Taking on the Mercer Bears for the fourth time this season, Coastal held on for a 3-2 win to improve to 4-0 over the Bears on the year and record the 22nd win of the season, a new single-season record.
The team of
Emma Gonzalez and
Kalin Eske rebounded from a tough loss in the earlier matchup with ULM to win 21-9, 21-16 at the No. 4 flight to give the Chants an early 1-0 match lead.
The first-year team of Ginther and Hanford followed suit with a 21-10, 21-18 win at No. 5 to give the women in teal a 2-0 match lead.
However, an injury midway through the first set at the No. 1 flight forced the Chants to retire on court one and allowed Mercer to tie the match up at 2-2 with a 24-22, 21-12 win at flight No. 3.
The match would come down to the junior duo of Campbell and Kragholm at the No. 2 flight, as the veteran team stormed back from a 21-14 first-set loss to take the second set 21-16. The third set would go down to the wire, as the Chants' tandem held on for the 25-23 win to give CCU a 3-2 match win.
The Sandy Chants will now set their sights on the 2021 ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship set for April 23-25 in DeLand, Fla.
Results
Match 1: Coastal Carolina 4, ULM 1
- Irena Drobnjak/Sarlota Svobodova (CCU) def. Audrey Brooks/Julia Blazek (ULM) – 18-21, 21-13, 15-7
- Lucy Campbell/Martine Kragholm (CCU) def. Abigail Elder/Kayla Gallant (ULM) – 21-19, 21-18
- Kendra Lukacs/Sarah Riedell (CCU) def. Ina Gosen/Katie McKay (ULM) – 21-15, 21-10
- Holland Ponthieux/Anna Demmer (ULM) def. Emma Gonzalez/Kalin Eske (CCU) – 21-17, 18-21, 15-10
- Carli Ginther/Ellie Hanford (CCU) def. Elizabeth Moreland/Brooke Hoven (ULM) – 23-21, 21-12
Order of finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
Match 2: Coastal Carolina 3, Mercer 2
- Elli Merchant/Olivia Boeve (Mercer) def. Irena Drobnjak/Sarlota Svobodova (CCU) – 10-7, retired due to injury
- Lucy Campbell/Martine Kragholm (CCU) def. Gracie Garanich/Emilee Wissmach (Mercer) – 14-21, 21-16, 25-23
- Kacy Ogden/Maddie Nunley (Mercer) def. Sarah Riedell/Kendra Lukacs (CCU) – 24-22, 21-12
- Emma Gonzalez/Kalin Eske (CCU) def. Hana Robertson/Elena Sanfrey (Mercer) – 21-9, 21-16
- Carli Ginther/Ellie Hanford (CCU) def. Ellie Miller/Aggie Paskevic (Mercer) – 21-10, 21-18
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2
For complete coverage of CCU beach volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalBeachVB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUsports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.
