HUNTSVILLE, Ala.– The Coastal Carolina beach volleyball team had its 2022 season come to an end on Friday afternoon, as the Chanticleers were edged by the No. 13 nationally-ranked FIU Panthers 3-2 at the 2022 Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship Tournament in Huntsville, Ala.
With the loss, the Sandy Chants finished the season at 18-16 overall.
Coastal fell behind 2-0 early in the match with a pair of straight-set losses on courts one and three but refused to go down without a fight, as the team of
Carli Ginther and
Raychel Ehlers continued their winning ways with a 21-15, 21-17 straight-set win on court five to put the match score at 2-1.
The Sandy Chants then tied the match score up at 2-2 with a win on court number two, as the pair of
Irena Drobnjak and
Ellie Hanford stormed back from a second-set defeat to take the third set 15-11, and the match at 21-17, 19-21, 15-11.
With the match coming down to court four, the Panthers' tandem of Kendall Mather and Lisa Luini was able to escape the Chants' team of
Madie Lichty and
Madison Allred by a score of 18-21, 21-14, 15-11 to come away with the 3-2 match win.
Two Chants in Drobnjak and Ginther surpassed the 50-career wins milestone on the season, as Drobnjak's 52 career wins sit atop of the CCU individual career wins list ahead of both Ginther and
Lucy Campbell who each have 51 victories.
Hanford set the new single-season record with 27 individual wins on the season, surpassing the previous mark of 25 held by both
Kalin Eske and
Anett Nemeth in 2019, while Ehlers was named to the 2022 C-USA All-Freshman Team.
No. 13 FIU 3, Coastal Carolina 2
- Paige Kalkhoff/Giada Bianchi (FIU) def. Martine Kragholm/Sarah Riedell (CCU) - 21-17, 21-13
- Irena Drobnjak/Ellie Hanford (CCU) def. Roberta Ribeiro/Rocky Mancinelli (FIU) - 21-17, 19-21, 15-11
- Emily Meyer/Zuza Bialek (FIU) def. Natalie Honzovicova/Elena Sanchez (CCU) - 21-11, 21-14
- Kendall Mather/Lisa Luini (FIU) def. Madie Lichty/Madison Allred (CCU) - 18-21, 21-14, 15-11
- Carli Ginther/Raychel Ehlers (CCU) def. Gina Lipscomb/Anna Davis (FIU) - 21-15, 21-17
Order of Finish 1, 3, 5, 2, 4
For complete coverage of Coastal Carolina 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.
Gallery: (4-29-2022) Beach Volleyball at 2022 C-USA Championship (Day 2) (1)
Gallery: (4-29-2022) Beach Volleyball at 2022 C-USA Championship (Day 2) (2)
