Florida State Sand Volleyball Improves to 2-0 in Dominant Fashion
The Seminoles earned a second consecutive 5-0 sweep at Tulane on Monday
NEW ORLEANS – Two days after winning the nation’s first-ever collegiate sand volleyball match in dominating fashion, the Florida State sand volleyball team captured another impressive victory on Monday afternoon at Tulane. The Seminoles didn’t drop a set en route to defeating the Green Wave, 5-0, at the Coconut Beach Volleyball Courts at The Dock In Slidell.
FSU improved to 2-0, as the Seminoles also claimed a 5-0 victory at UAB on Saturday. In two matches, FSU has dropped just one set.
Senior Visnja Djurdjevic posted some eye-popping statistics in a return to where she started her collegiate volleyball career. The three-time indoor volleyball All-American, who played for the Green Wave from 2008-09 before transferring to Florida State, tallied a match-high 20 kills to go along with five aces and eight digs. She and freshman Melanie Pavels (14 digs) nabbed a 21-11, 21-14 win over Milena Dragovic and Anna Wruck in the No. 3 team spot.
Because of limitations at the Coconut Beach facility, the Nos. 4 and 5 teams began the match, and the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 tandems followed.
In the afternoon’s most lopsided matchup, the team on Jeassica McGregor (10 kills) and Sarah Wickstrom (11 kills) breezed past Tulane’s Shefali Arora and Amber Bennett, 21-8, 21-6 at No. 5.
Senior Mallory Kiley and freshman Stephanie Pellitteri simultaneously dispatched of Azarri Badawi and Olivia Utt, 21-8, 21-8 at No. 4. Kiley had 13 kills and a match-best six aces.
Junior Aurora Newgard’s 14-kill, 20-dig double-double led FSU’s No. 1 squad of her and sophomore Brittany Tiegs past Lilly Wolfe and Cori Marton, 21-15, 21-12.
At No. 2, senior Kate Stepanova (10 kills) and freshman Jace Pardon cruised by Grace Weaver and Nikki Osuna, 21-7, 21-11, behind Pardon’s 14 kills and 11 aces.
The Seminoles return to action this Thursday and Friday at the Clash of the Collegians tournament in Winter Haven, Fla.
FLORIDA STATE (2-0) DEFEATS TULANE (0-1), 5-0
No. 1: Newgard/Tiegs (FSU) def. Wolfe/Martone (TLN) – 21-15, 21-12
No. 2: Stepanova/Pardon (FSU) def. Weaver/Osuna (TLN) – 21-7, 21-11
No. 3: Pavels/Djurdjevic (FSU) def. Dragovic/Wruck (TLN) – 21-11, 21-14
No. 4: Kiley/Pellitteri (FSU) def. Badawi/Utt (TLN) – 21-8, 21-8
No. 5: McGregor/Wickstrom (FSU) def. Arora/Bennett (TLN) – 21-8, 21-6
Order Of Finish: 5,4,2,1,3
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