Beach Volleyball Splits First Day at March to May

Gulf Shores, Ala. – The fourth-ranked Florida State Seminoles (10-3) defeated No. 7 Grand Canyon and lost a close battle to No. 1 UCLA on the first day of the March to May tournament. Due to inclement weather and delays, today’s matches were played until decision.

FSU 3, Grand Canyon 1

Florida State improved their series lead over Grand Canyon to 8-0 following today’s 3-1 decision. Under Coach Niles, the Seminoles now have 56 wins against top-10 opponents.

Kate Privett and Raelyn White are on a hot streak this season. They earned the first match point in today’s contest, holding GCU to only 12 points in both sets. The pair is now 10-1 on the season.

Court one followed in court five’s footsteps, holding their opponents to 12 points in both sets as well. Maddie Anderson and Brook Bauer are now 7-3 this season.

Jordan Polo and Caitlin Moon dropped their match to GCU 21-19, 21-19 on court five forcing the decision to be made on court three.

Madison Fitzpatrick and Alaina Chacon earned the match-clinching point defeating GCU 21-18, 21-18. That win marked the 37^th win together for the pair in their careers. They are 10-1 on the season.

Even though court two was unable to finish the match, Morgan Chacon and Jenna Johnson won the first set and were leading in the second. The pair won the first set 21-19 and had the lead 17-14 in the second set before the match was cut short.

FSU 2, UCLA 3

Almost two hours after the scheduled time, the Seminoles dropped a close dual to No. 1 UCLA. The Seminoles had the lead 2-1 before UCLA earned the match decision on the final two courts.

Maddie Anderson and Brook Bauer earned the first point for the Seminoles, defeating UCLA 21-19, 21-11 on court one.

Court two kept it going, beating UCLA 21-14, 21-15. Alaina Chacon and Madison Fitzpatrick are now tied for seventh place all-time for victories by a pair.

Keara Rutz and Alex Hilton competed for the first time together this season on court three. After a long first set, UCLA overcame them 26-24. The pair lost the second set 21-14.

The match decision came down to courts four and five as they battled through their third sets. On court four, Jordan Polo and Anna Long returned to the lineup together. The pair lost the match 17-21, 21-18, 15-12.

Kate Privett and Raelyn White fought hard, keeping it close in the first two sets. The pair won the first set 21-18 before dropping the next two 21-18, 15-9.

Scoring Summary – FSU 3, Grand Canyon 1

1. Maddie Anderson/Brook Bauer (FSU) def. Anaya Evans/Jessica Vastine (GCU): 21-12, 21-12
2. Allison Hansen/Allanis Navas (GCU) vs. Morgan Chacon/Jenna Johnson (FSU): DNF: FSU was up 21-19, 17-14
3. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU) def. Samaya Morin/Teagan Defalco (GCU): 21-18, 21-18
4. Abbie Hughes/Dana Roskic (GCU) vs. Jordan Polo/Caitlin Moon (FSU): 21-19, 21-19
5. Kate Privett/Raelyn White (FSU) def.  Madi Relaz/Cami Sanchez (GCU): 21-12, 21-12

Order of Finish: 5,1,4,3

Scoring Summary – FSU 2, UCLA 3   

1. Maddie Anderson/Brook Bauer (FSU) def. Lexy Denaburg/Abby Van Winkle (UCLA): 21-19, 21-11
2. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU) def. Rileigh Powers/Lea Monkhouse (UCLA): 21-14, 21-15
3. Jaden Whitmarsh/Devon Newberry (UCLA) def. Keara Rutz/Alex Hilton (FSU): 26-24, 21-14
4. Sophie Moore/Natalie Myszkowski (UCLA) def. Anna Long/Jordon Polo (FSU): 17-21, 21-18, 15-12
5. Jessie Smith/Marlie Monserez (UCLA) def. Kate Privett/Raelyn White (FSU): 18-21, 21-18, 15-9

Order of Finish: 1,2,3,4,5

Looking Forward

The Seminoles will finish the March to May tomorrow, Saturday, March 19^th, with conference matches against No. 20 Tulane at 12:00 PM and No. 15 South Carolina at 4:00 PM.

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