Volleyball Voices

Florida State Sand Volleyball Signs Five

Florida State Sand Volleyball Signs Five

The Noles add Nina Pellitteri, Alexis Ryan, Katherine Plessy, Julie Brown and Kayla Joyce

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Florida State sand volleyball head coach Danalee Corso announced the signing of five players from the Class of 2012 on Thursday.  

 

Signing National Letters of Intent to compete for the Seminoles starting next fall were Julie Brown, Kayla Joyce, Nina Pellitteri, Katherine Plessy and Alexis Ryan.

 

“We feel we have recruited the best talent Florida has to offer,” Corso said. “Julie, Kayla, and Nina placed first or second in every junior event last summer here in Florida.  I had an opportunity to work with them with the USA national team program, and they all have the personalities and talent to be successful at FSU.  I am very excited about them coming to play for me. FSU was the school they always wanted to attend so it’s a perfect marriage.  Nina’s sister, Stephanie, was freshman with our program this past season where she competed at the national championships and showed great improvement. 

 

“Katherine and Alexis were two of the top indoor players in Georgia this past season, and I think they can become great sand volleyball players. They don’t have a lot of experience playing in the sand, but they have the build and skills that translate perfectly from indoors onto the beach. I have specialized in making good indoor players into fantastic sand players, and that’s what I think I can do with Katherine and Alexis.”

 

Pellitteri is the younger sister of rising FSU sand volleyball sophomore Stephanie Pellitteri. The sisters captured a AAA Florida Beach Volleyball tournament against adults last summer. The younger Pellitteri also teamed up with Savannah Davis to win four straight tournaments in the summer of 2011, including the U16 division at the Florida Beach Volleyball Tournament in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Last fall Pellitteri led her Pompano Beach high school indoor volleyball team to the 5A regional semifinals, capturing all-county honors along the way.

 

Brown and Joyce helped lead Oviedo High School to four consecutive regional tournament appearances and teamed up to become a successful duo on the sand courts. The pair nabbed second-place honors at the USA Beach Volleyball Junior National Championship Tournament last August. Since finishing third in their first tournament together three years ago, the pair has never placed lower than third at an event.

 

Brown captured first team all-conference honors in 2010 and 2011 and was named to the all-tournament team at the Dig Pink and Trinity Prep in both 2009 and 2010.  Joyce started at setter for Oviedo for three years.

 

Like Pellitteri, Brown and Joyce also led their Oviedo high school team to the regional semifinals this season.  All three are also members of the Beach Dig club program.

 

Plessy and Ryan will be FSU sand volleyball’s first two players from the “Peach State.”

 

Plessy’s Walton (Cobb, Ga.) High School indoor volleyball team edged Ryan’s Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.) High School squad in five sets to win its second straight Georgia Class AAAAA state championship last fall.

 

In addition to capping her prep career with back-to-back indoor state titles, Plessy was also a three-time all-state, all-county and all-area selection.

 

Ryan led her Lady Hoyas’ high school team with 17 kills in the 2011 state championship final as well as  a 45-5 overall record last fall. She captured all-county, all-area and all-state honors in 2010 and 2011, and was named MVP of the Harrison indoor volleyball team her final two years. 

 

Plessy and Ryan both participated in club competitions for A5 Volleyball.

 

For more information on the Florida State sand volleyball team, follow the Seminoles on twitter at: @FSU_SVB.

 

--www.seminoles.com--

 

UAB Volleyball Program Adds Ally Peters, Emma Schroer

UAB Volleyball Program Adds Ally Peters, Emma Schroer

Blazers add outside hitter, setter for upcoming season

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB
volleyball program has added two players for the upcoming 2012 season --
outside hitter Ally Peters of Medina, Ohio, and setter Emma Schroer of
Ogallala, Neb.

Both players will be freshmen for the
Blazers this coming fall and will also be eligible to compete for the
UAB sand volleyball team, which begins its second season of competition
next spring.

Peters wrapped up her career at Medina
High School last fall as an honorable mention All-Ohio selection after
averaging 4.9 kills and 2.2 digs per set. She led Medina to its first
Sweet 16 appearance in
the state tournament in 27 years to go along with a district
championship.

A four-year letterwinner, the 6-foot
outside hitter was a three-time All-Medina County selection, a
three-time all-district choice by the Ohio High School Volleyball
Coaches Association and a two-time All-Northeast
Ohio Conference honoree. 

She finished her career as Medina's
all-time leader in kills (1,046) and aces (130) and owns the seven
highest single-match kill totals in school history.

Named MVP of the area by the Medina
Gazette in 2011, Peters also has an extensive background in Junior
Olympic volleyball, playing out of the Cleveland Volleyball Company.

"Ally has great ball control and is a very
hard hitter," UAB head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "She should
compete for playing time right away. Her dad is a high school basketball
coach, and she comes
from an athletic family. She has also played high-level club
volleyball, which will serve her well as she makes the transition to the
college game."

Schroer was a four-year letterwinner for
Ogallala High School, helping her team to an appearance in the final
eight of the Nebraska state tournament every year.

At 5-foot-10, she was both an outside
hitter and setter for Ogallala, where she was a three-time All-Southwest
Conference and all-area selection, including a first-team choice as
both a junior and senior.
She was also an honorable mention all-state pick by the Associated
Press last fall after logging more than 200 kills and more than 450
assists in her final season.

Named her volleyball team's most
outstanding senior player and offensive player, Schroer was selected for
the West Nebraska All-Star Volleyball Game.

Schroer also played three years of
basketball at Ogallala, earning all-conference and all-area recognition
twice, and competed four years in tennis.

The niece of UAB coaches Kerry and Hal
Messersmith, Schroer will join a fellow Ogallala product on the Blazer
roster. Senior middle blocker Kate Morrell graduated from the same high
school in 2009.

"Emma is a very skilled player,"
Messersmith said. "She doesn't have a whole lot of club volleyball
experience, but she played at a high level for a successful high school
program at Ogallala. She's a well-rounded
athlete, and we're excited to have her coming to Birmingham."

Peters and Schroer join a Blazer program
looking to build on a strong 2011 season. UAB went 23-9 last year and
tied for second place in the Conference USA race at 13-7 in league play.

-- CALL US UAB --

FSU Sand Volleyball Featured on CBS Sports Network Wednesday

FSU Sand Volleyball Featured on CBS Sports Network Wednesday

The Seminoles will be part of CBSSN’s AVCA National Championships broadcast at 9 p.m.ET

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida State sand volleyball team will be featured prominently in Wednesday night’s broadcast of the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championships at 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.

 

Wednesday’s broadcast is the first hour of two installments. The second hour will be broadcast on CBSSN on June 13 at 10 p.m. ET.

 

CBS Sports Network can be found at channel 743 (393 HD) for Tallahassee Comcast cable subscribers and at channel 613 on DIRECTV and 158 on DISH Network.

 

A prominent part of this Wednesday night’s show will be the pairs championship semifinals match between Florida State’s Jace Pardon and Jekaterina Stepanova and Long Beach State’s Caitlin LeDoux and Tara Roenicke that originally took place on April 29 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

 

A camera crew from CBSSN was on hand for the duration of the championship weekend, and the televised specials will feature match footage, as well as exclusive player interviews, expert analysis, and sideline reporting.  These special broadcasts will pull you into the spirit of the inaugural collegiate sand volleyball championships by showcasing the players, coaches and beautiful setting in Gulf Shores that combined to make the event such a remarkable success.

 

The championship event spanned three days and featured top competitors from programs that participated in the first season of collegiate sand volleyball.  The Pairs Championship featured the top 16 doubles teams competing over the course of two days.  The Team Championship was a four-team double elimination slugfest that kept the crowd entertained with five matches played simultaneously.

Pepperdine, Long Beach State University, Florida State University, the College of Charleston, the University of Southern California, the University of Hawai'i, Florida Atlantic University, UAB, the University of North Florida and Stetson University all had participants in the competition.

 

The Seminoles finished third in the team competition, and had three athletes capture All-America honors: junior Aurora Newgard, sophomore Brittany Tiegs and Stepanova.

 

For a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

 

For more information on the Florida State sand volleyball team follow the Seminoles on Twitter at @FSU_SVB.

 

 

LMU Adds Sand Volleyball Program for 2012 Season

 

 

LMU Adds Sand Volleyball Program for 2012 Season

 

The LMU athletic department has announced the addition of a women's sand volleyball program, which will begin competition in the spring of 2012.  Tom Black, the current coach of the Lions’ indoor women's volleyball team, will also coach the new sport this spring.  The addition of sand volleyball increases LMU’s intercollegiate-sport count to 22.

“LMU is in one of the richest, if not the richest, areas in the country that offers opportunities in sand volleyball,” LMU Athletic Director Dr. William Husak said.  “Our location, less than a mile from the ocean, is one where literally no more than five to 10 institutions nationally can compete.”

Joining Black on staff will be his indoor assistant coaches, Jon Newman-Gonchar and Meagan Schmitt. In addition to the existing support staff, Black has also named JohnMayer as his newest volunteer coach for both sand and indoor volleyball.  A 2005 graduate of Pepperdine University, Mayer helped guide Pepperdine to a National Championship in his senior year.  Before transferring to Pepperdine, Mayer won a pair of State Championships playing at Pierce College.  On the beach, Mayer was named AVP Most Improved Player in 2009 after earning his first career title in San Diego with teammate Jeff Nygaard.  Most recently, he has served as Head Coach of the men’s volleyball program at Santa Monica College.

Sand volleyball is an emerging sport, and Division I competition became effective in August 2011.  According to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), there are nearly 20 programs around the country that sponsor sand volleyball, and more are scheduled to be added in the future.  Fellow WCC-member Pepperdine sponsors sand volleyball, in addition to Southern California schools USC and Long Beach State.

“Adding sand volleyball is a major recruiting advantage for us at LMU because it has the potential to lure top recruits who want to play both sand and indoor volleyball to our campus,” Husak said.  “In addition to recruiting, adding sand volleyball benefits our indoor program in that it allows our team to train throughout the year with minimal financial outlay and workload additions toexisting staff.  With just two players on a team, the game demands proficiency in all areas, and forces our student-athletes to fine-tune each and every skill, which should lead to well-rounded players on the court and in the sand.”

The Lions will field five doubles teams that will compete in best-of-three matches to 21, with the tie-breaker being played to 15.   All sets are rally-scoring and must be won by two points.  Teams are required to play at least eight dates with three of the competitions being dual matches.

“We are beyond excited to be adding sand volleyball,” Black said.  “The training benefits of adding the program are immense as our student-athletes are able to play more, and the format of the sand game will allow more contacts for each player and force them to read the play as it develops.  Finally, adding sand volleyball will greatly improve the student-athlete experience at LMU, which teamed with elevating our abilities, are two main objectives for our program.”

LMU sophomore Betsi Metter is expected to be one of the more promising players in the sand after showing high levels of success on the beach prior to attending LMU.  Metter was a member of the USA Beach Youth National Training Team, and took first place at the AAU National Beach Championships in 2009 for the U18 division.  She also earned a first-place finish at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Beach Championships for the U14 division in 2006.

In other sand volleyball news related to LMU, the U.S. team of former Lions Emily Day and Heather Hughes has been named the USA Volleyball Beach Team of the Year for 2011.  Day and Hughes spent the summer of 2011 barnstorming beach volleyball events around the United States and the world.

In total, the team played in 11 domestic tournaments – including a USA Volleyball International Development Qualifier, which it won – and five international.  All the efforts of the young team were focused on making up the USAV Beach pipeline to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.  The highlight of their season came when they claimed a silver medal at the World University Games in China.

Internationally, Day and Hughes finished second at theNORCECA Beach Circuit event in Puerto Vallarta.  They also came very close to a bronze medal at the Pan American Games, falling to Puerto Rico’s Yarleen Santiago and Yamileska Yantin, 21-16, 16-21, 15-7 in the third-place match.

The 2012 LMU sand volleyball schedule is currently in the works, and should be posted at LMULions.com in the coming weeks.  Competition is slated to begin during the weekend of March 2.

Pepperdine Adds Sand Volleyball To Its List Of Sponsored NCAA Sports

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PEPPERDINE ADDS SAND VOLLEYBALL TO ITS LIST OF SPONSORED NCAA SPORTS 

 

Click here for interview with Caitlin Racich, Pepperdine’s first scholarship recipient for the sport of sand volleyball:
http://www.pepperdinesports.com/allaccess/?media=255336

 

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine University Department of Athletics announced today that it will add women’s sand volleyball as an intercollegiate sport under the direction of indoor coach Nina Matthies, one of the best beach volleyball players in the history of the sport.

 

“We are excited to add women’s sand volleyball to the Pepperdine athletic program and believe it will prove to be a popular sport for our community,” Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts said. “Volleyball has a great tradition here and we are committed to building a championship women’s sand volleyball program. Also, we are fortunate to have one of the sport’s greatest players, Nina Matthies, as our head coach.”

 

In January 2010, the NCAA added sand volleyball to its list of emerging sports for women for Division I with a start date of the 2011-12 school year. The sport will begin competition in spring 2012, likely at the start of March, and will run for approximately two months.

 

The Waves have the built-in advantage of having world-class beaches just across the street from campus and up and down the coast, and will begin competition by using one of several already-existing sand volleyball spots to practice and compete. In the future, the possibility exists that on-campus facilities will be added.

 

Matthies and the Waves began gearing up for sand volleyball by taking a date out of their spring schedule each of the last three years to take part in the USA Volleyball Beach Collegiate Championship. Pepperdine won the team title in both 2009 and 2011.

 

“Where we are is such a great spot for sand volleyball,” Matthies said. “We’re one of the few schools that can truly say we’re right at the beach already. Pepperdine and sand volleyball are like two peas in a pod, it’s such a great fit.

 

“When the ball got rolling for sand volleyball becoming an NCAA sport, I wanted in. I really appreciate the work that the AVCA and Kathy DeBoer did to make this happen.”

 

Matthies, who begins her 29th year as head coach of the Waves’ women’s indoor team in 2011, was recognized as one of the top beach players in the world before she retired in 1992. An inductee into both the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association Hall of Fame and the Manhattan Beach Volleyball Walk of Fame, Matthies won 43 titles and had 93 podium finishes in 139 career beach appearances.

 

Volleyball Magazine named Matthies as one of the "Most Influential People in the First 100 Years of Volleyball." In 2004, she was named to the 75th Anniversary All-Era Team by USA Volleyball.

 

Many of her players have gone on to success on the professional beach tours as well, most notably Nicole Sanderson (who finished fourth at the 2004 Olympics for her native Australia), Mary Bailey (who recently retired after more than 25 years of competition), Christina Hinds (who is attempting to make the Greek sand volleyball team for the 2012 Olympics) and Carrie-Romer Wright.

 

Matthies will also continue to coach the indoor team, where she has a career record of 530-313 (.629). Her assistants will take on different roles during the spring, with Marcio Sicoli focusing on sand volleyball and Tim Jensen continuing to work with the indoor team during its spring practice and exhibition season.

 

Pepperdine’s first-ever recipient of a sand volleyball scholarship is junior Caitlin Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS), who has chosen to forego playing indoor in order to focus on sand volleyball. The initial NCAA rules for the sport state that players on an indoor scholarship may play sand volleyball, but those on a sand volleyball scholarship may not play indoor. Matthies anticipates 12 to 14 of the 18 players on her 2011 indoor roster will end up playing sand volleyball this spring.

 

“My vision is that eventually we’ll have six kids on sand volleyball scholarships, six kids on indoor scholarships and others on indoor scholarships who are hybrids that will play both,” Matthies said.

 

Matthies is still working on scheduling the spring season while the final count of schools that will initially sponsor sand volleyball is still being counted. It is anticipated that the spring will culminate in some sort of championship event (40 schools must sponsor the sport for it to become an official NCAA Championship).

 

ADDITIONAL Q&A WITH HEAD COACH NINA MATTHIES

 

Q: You’ve been a part of the process of making sand volleyball into an NCAA sport since its infancy, but what is your reaction now that the vision has become a reality?

 

A: “I’m ecstatic!  Pepperdine is well suited to play sand volleyball. It fits in well with what we are already doing with the indoor team, and it fits within the culture of Pepperdine. It’s exciting to be a part of this from the very beginning, and to be involved in the start of the new tradition here at this school. It’s not just a new chapter we are opening, but an entirely new book.”

 

Q: What is the biggest challenge for both coaches and student-athletes with the addition of sand volleyball to their schedules?

 

A: “I don’t really know if it is a challenge at this point. We’ve always incorporated sand volleyball to our workouts during our spring exhibition season, so there won’t be too many drastic changes this year. We’ve competed at the USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge the past few years, so we’re already used to competing in the sand arena. As the sport grows, there may be more challenges as we become separate groups. It is my goal that the indoor and sand teams remain an integrated group, and that as coaches, we are able to maintain a balanced environment for our student-athletes.”

 

Q: What will the team and schedule look like this season?

 

A: “Right now we are looking to have a 12-person roster. Caitlin Racich is currently on the roster, and we’ll hold tryouts in January to determine the rest. The format of competition is still up on the air. It’s going to be the year to experiment with different formats, see what works and what doesn’t, and decide what is best for collegiate sand volleyball.”

 

Q: What opportunities does this create for student-athletes after college?

 

A: “There’s a limited amount of volleyball that can be played after a student-athlete has graduated from college. Some go pro in Europe, but that’s mostly for national team members. Now with sand volleyball, that’s another option as a feeder to national teams or perhaps another professional tour. This will help with the Olympic development program for the U.S., something that’s needed. It’s happening all around the world. We have some of the top teams, but it’s not deep.”

 

Q: How does this benefit women’s athletics in general?

 

A: “Volleyball, period, is one of the best showcases for female athletes. The sport, sand or indoor, showcases their athletic abilities very, very well.”

 

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Florida State Sand Volleyball Signs Three for Inaugural 2012 Season

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Florida State Sand Volleyball Signs Three for Inaugural 2012 Season

Foundational recruiting class includes three Florida standouts

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Florida State University Director of Volleyball and indoor volleyball head coach Chris Poole has announced the introductory sand volleyball recruiting class that has signed its national letters of intent to play the inaugural sport beginning in 2012.

 

Florida natives Stephanie Pellitteri (Deerfield Beach) and former South Lake High School teammates Jeassica McGregor (Groveland) and Aurora Newgard (Groveland) make up FSU’s first-ever sand volleyball recruiting class. All three heralded recruits possess enormous accolades stemming from their amateur careers at the high school and club levels.

 

“I’m very excited about this first sand volleyball signing class,” Poole said. “Aurora, Jeassica and Stephanie are all three exceptional players, but more importantly, they are exceptional young ladies. They are among the very best in the nation as beach players and we are fortunate that they have made a commitment to Florida State University. 

 

“They will be the pioneers for not only a new sport at FSU, but a new sport on the college level.  Our USA Women's Beach team has won the last two Olympics and the sport was among the most watched of each of those Olympic Games.”  

 

Pellitteri is a standout performer at Pompano Beach High School, where she was the captain of her indoor volleyball squad and became a second-team all county player. She began playing sand volleyball for Club Beach Dig in the summer of 2007 and continues to excel with the same team.

 

While playing for Club Beach Dig, Pellitteri has boasted some enormous victories over the years. Her team finished in first place in Women’s AAA Florida Beach volleyball on April 2, and also won the 18-under Open Division East Coach Beach Nationals in Fort Lauderdale on Aug. 8, 2010. Other events where she has led her team to victory include the 18-under USAV Florida Regional Championship, 18-under USAV Southern Open and both the 18-under and Women’s AAA Miami Beach Championships.

 

Pellitteri also became a Junior 18-under Regional and National Dig the Beach champion. She has been invited to several camps at the sand volleyball Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., which are invitation only.

 

McGregor is a 2010 graduate of South Lake High School. She is also a junior college transfer from Lake Sumter Community College, where she was named an All Mid-Florida Conference First Team member for the indoor squad. She led her team with 416 assists, 33 aces and a near 25 percent hitting efficiency. In the National Junior College Athletic Association final rankings, McGregor was 27^th in aces per set and 48^th in assists.

 

On the sand, McGregor guided her teams to five first-place finishes in various Dig the Beach tournaments in the Co-Ed open division during the 2010 season. She helped her team to a first-place finish at another competitive event at the Orlando Sports Complex in Nov. 2009, and became an AVPNEXT Southeastern Zone champion only a month before.

 

McGregor has participated with USA Junior National Tour Beach Volleyball in the 20-under division, earning a silver medal at an event in Huntington Beach, Calif., in 2009. In that same year she was also a USAV East Coast national champion and a Florida Region state champion. McGregor also captained the varsity indoor volleyball team, starting at setter and outside hitter at South Lake High.

 

Newgard has also enjoyed plenty of success in both indoor and sand volleyball. She has spent the last two years at State College of Florida, being named a Suncoast Conference First Team member in 2009 and ranking No. 1 in the NJCAA in kills per set as an indoor student-athlete. She also was a co-captain in her first indoor season at SCF.

 

This past season, Newgard earned more indoor volleyball honors. She was an NJCAA All-America Honorable Mention performer, finished first in the Florida Community College Activities Association in aces, kills and digs and was named the Suncoast Conference Player of the Year.

 

Newgard is currently in her second season in the sand circuit at SCF. In the 2011 season thus far, she has led her team to a first-place finish and an undefeated mark at the St. Petersburg College Beach Tournament on April 8. Last year, she also helped upend the University of Miami, 15-11, in a Gold Medal match at Siesta Key Beach.

 

Newgard has also helped defeat other strong duos from larger, Division I universities, including Notre Dame, Florida Atlantic, North Florida and Central Florida.

 

“Aurora, Jeassica and Stephanie are three great athletes,” Poole added. “They are great all-around players and they will now become the future of Florida State Sand Volleyball.”

 

An announcement on the FSU sand volleyball coaching staff will be made within the next two weeks.

 

Poole also believes that the addition of sand volleyball will ultimately attract a new set of athletes, relying more on athleticism compared to the indoor sport that has seen a growth in physicality within the last decade.

 

“While there may be some ‘cross-over’ at first with indoor players, I think you will also see many of your 5'7" to 5'10" players start to focus more on the sand game,” Poole said. “The players indoor have grown bigger and bigger over the last 10 years and it has become a very physical game.  However, the speed and athleticism will be important criteria for players to move in the sand and it will give a new set of athletes and opportunity to emerge in this new sport.”

 

www.seminoles.com

 

GoDuke.com Q&A With Duke Volleyball Player Tealle Hunkus

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GoDuke.com Q&A With Duke Volleyball Player Tealle Hunkus

Tealle Hunkus, a two-time All-ACC selection during her career at Duke from 2003-06, has represented Blue Devil Volleyball on the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour since 2007.

Hunkus, who ranks 12th all-time at Duke with 1,162 career kills, 13th with 1,152 career digs and 10th with 118 aces, has posted two 17th-place finishes on the AVP Pro Tour and has also played in Finland with USA Volleyball's No. 2 U-26 Beach Team.

Hunkus recently took some time to sit down with GoDuke.com to talk about life on the AVP, the differences between playing indoor and on the sand, and her plans for after volleyball. Read on to catch up with the former Duke star.

GoDuke.com: Was playing on the AVP Tour something you had your sights set on while you were at Duke? Did you have much experience playing on sand before you played at Duke?

Tealle Hunkus: Absolutely, I knew I was not ready to be done playing after Duke and had dreamed of playing on the beach. I had some experience with sand before and during my time at Duke in various leagues, and I spent summers playing as much sand as possible while interning.

GD: A lot of very accomplished indoor players struggle to make an impact on the sand. What would you say has been the toughest part of your transition to the beach game?

TH: The beach game is physically and mentally very different from indoor and is also set up much differently which was a transition. With indoor, you had a team with several girls that all travel and play together with a full staff of coaches, etc. On the beach, partnering and training is up to you. You have to really work on your game and learn your style and how it works with other people.

GD: Beach volleyball is a sport where even top ten players are known to sleep on couches to save money while traveling. How would you describe your typical accommodations as a qualifier on the tour?

TH: Actually the accommodations have been great. If you know someone in the area the tour is visiting, it’s great to be able to catch up and stay with them if possible. However, there are always good hotel options.

GD: You’ve had two 17^th-place finishes this season. What results would you like to see to consider the 2010 season a success?

TH: We are all competitors and want to finish at the top, and I am absolutely no different. We practice, condition, and train day-in and day-out to perform at the highest level possible. Shattering the 17^th-place finish in the upcoming tournaments is absolutely a goal and will be a success, but we are also reaching a new level every practice / tournament and are reaching other shorter term goals that will lead to the end results. I’m looking forward to the remainder of the season!

GD: One of the unique aspects of beach volleyball is the constant partner switching. What do you look for in a partner and what playing style is most complimentary of your game?

TH: Good communication is key with a partner, and chemistry on the court is also extremely important. You need to help and support each other, and work together. Ideally you mesh on the court, and work smoothly together complimenting each other’s game. The more you practice the easier it becomes, pretty much knowing what your partner will do.

GD: Last year, you earned a spot on the USAV U-26 Beach National Team. Can you talk a little bit about what that experience was like?

TH: Playing on the U-26 beach team was an amazing experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad and compete with the best players in the world. We also spent some time at the Olympic training center in Chula Vista working with the staff there and training before the tournament. It was all a great learning experience not only for the great competition, but also to get a feel for the fun and the challenging times that come with traveling abroad and competing at a destination that is completely new. Traveling and playing regularly on the FIVB tour is a definite goal of mine.

GD: What have been your favorite travel destinations since you started playing on the tour?

TH: On the AVP tour, Chicago probably tops the list and of course the home tournament in Manhattan Beach is a great one. Belmar, N.J. is also a great stop.

GD: What are your plans for after you’re done playing volleyball? What was your area of study at Duke, and is that something you plan to pursue?

TH: Honestly I haven’t really thought of life after volleyball yet. I plan on playing for several more years. I studied Public Policy at Duke and haven’t pursed it yet, but who knows what the future holds!

GD: Are you still able to keep up with Duke volleyball? Do you ever get a chance to make it back to Cameron and watch Duke play?

TH: I absolutely follow Duke Volleyball! I have not had the chance to make it back yet being across the country and the way the schedule is, but I’m looking forward to it as soon as I can!

-d-u-k-e-

Former Lions Emily Day and Heather Hughes Win 2010 College Beach Volleyball Championship

Former Lions Emily Day and Heather Hughes Win 2010 College Beach Volleyball Championship

Former Lions Emily Day (2005-08) and Heather Hughes (2004-07) reunited in the sand on May 2 to win the 2010 College Beach Volleyball Championship at West Beach in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The duo made history in 2007 when they became the lowest-seeded team to advance from the qualifier to an AVP event.  Nowadays, Hughes has been serving as a member of the USA National Team, while Day has been playing overseas in Europe and on the AVP tour with other partners.

Hughes and Day beat out 11 other squads from eight different conferences for the crown in a double-elimination round-robin competition.  The two defeated Concordia (15-7,16-14) before squaring-off against Delaware in the first of what would be two matches between the two teams.  Day and Hughes defeated Delaware in three, 15-10, 13-15, 15-3, on Saturday.  After the test against Delaware, the Lions faced Webber International, a school that made sand volleyball a varsity sport last year.  Webber International could not halt the Lion momentum, as Hughes and Day won in two sets (21-9, 21-8).  In the finals, the LMU squad saw Delaware, which won-out in the 'Contenders' bracket after the loss to LMU, for the second time.  LMU needed just two sets in the Championship match, defeating Delaware 21-16, 21-19.

Day, who earned a spot on Collegiate Volleyball Update's Stellar Spiker Honorable Mention team after her senior year, was named first team All-West Coast Conference twice as a Lion. One of just seven members in the 1,000 career dig/1,000 career kills club, she finished her LMU career ranked third all-time in digs (1,181), fourth in total attacks (4,171) and kills (1,521), sixth in kill average (3.61) and sets played (421), eighth in aces (116), and 10th in solo blocks (70) and dig average (2.81).

Hughes garnered AVCA All-Region honorable mention and first team All-WCC honors as a senior, marking the third straight year she was listed on the first team.  After beginning her stint with USA Volleyball, Hughes was named to Collegiate Volleyball Update's Stellar Spikers honorable mention list.  Hughes' name was heavily stamped in the LMU record books after her illustrious four-year career, as she has claimed the top spot in aces (157), second in kills (1,679), digs (1,261) and total attacks (4,435), fourth in games played (438) and kills-per-game (3.83), seventh in service aces-per-game (0.36) and ninth in digs-per-game (2.88).

The 2010 Lions will open their season on August 21 with the annual Alumnae Match in Gersten Pavilion. The regular season is slated to begin on August 27 when the Lions head across town to participate in a tournament at USC.

LSU Volleyball Team Claims SEC Beach Volleyball Championship

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LSU Volleyball Team Claims SEC Beach Volleyball Championship

SIESTA KEY, Fla. – 

The LSU volleyball team tallied 77 points to edge out Florida en route to the third annual SEC Coaches Beach Championships on the sands of Siesta Key.

 

The defending SEC champions used a total team effort as all four teams made the gold playoff bracket. Michele Williams and Angela Bensend led the way finishing in a tie for third place, while Brittany Johnson and Lauren Waclawczyk checked in a four-way tie for fifth place. No other SEC school had more than two teams qualify for the playoff.

 

“All of our teams did an amazing job during this event. It really is a testament to how hard our team has worked during the spring,” assistant coach Steve Loeswick said. “We showed how deep we are talent wise, and how well we were able to work within our 2 person teams. Our team also played composed volleyball in close matches. All in all, it was a great victory for Tiger volleyball.”

 

LSU plays host to its spring tournament Saturday as South Alabama, Southern Miss and Southeastern Louisiana visit the Auxiliary Gym of the Maravich Center. Admission is free to the event and fans are asked to enter through the Northwest Corridor of the arena. A full tournament schedule is below.

 

 

LSU Spring Tournament

9:30 a.m.              LSU vs. Southeastern Louisiana

10:30 a.m.           Southern Miss vs. South Alabama

11:30 a.m.           LSU vs. South Alabama

1:00 p.m.             Southern Miss vs. Southeastern Louisiana

2:00 p.m.             Southeastern Louisiana vs. South Alabama

3:00 p.m.             LSU vs. Southern Miss

 

 

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UCF Sand Volleyball Takes Home Top Honors at Fiesta on the Siesta Beach Tournament

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UCF Sand Volleyball Takes Home Top Honors at Fiesta on the Siesta Beach Tournament

The Knights edged in-state rival USF by 5.5 points to claim the team cup.    

                                     

SIESTA KEY, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – With 186 total points, the UCF volleyball team edged in-state rival 

USF by 5.5 points to claim the team cup at the Fiesta on Siesta Key Beach Volleyball Tournament Saturday 

on Siesta Key Beach.

 

During the all-day event, the Knights faced teams from Miami, Florida State, Florida Gulf Coast, 

Jacksonville, Stetson and Notre Dame, among others.

 

“I think UCF has clearly shown its viability as a nationally ranked collegiate beach volleyball program,” head 

coach Todd Dagenais said of the win. “Hopefully in the future we will look back and recognize that this 

tournament victory was a major step toward having beach volleyball become a reality.”

 

UCF had two pairs place in the top five in the Gold Division of the competition, with the pair of Kristin Fisher 

(Clearwater, Fla.) and Tory McCutcheon (Milton, Ontario), as well as the pair of Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) and 

Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia), tying for fifth in the tournament’s top division.

 

“Evija definitely improved the most over the course of our beach training and competition,” Erik Peterson, who 

served as the Knights’ head coach for the event, said. “She was siding out tremendously, her defense was 

unbelievable and she was hammering balls at the tournament. She did some things that absolutely amazed us 

this weekend.”

 

Also placing in the Gold Division was the duo of Marie Reiterova (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) and Andee Youngblood 

(Castle Rock, Colo.), who finished in a nine-way tie for ninth place.

 

UCF was the only school to have three pairs competing in the Gold Division of the event.

 

In the Silver Division, the Black and Gold were represented by the team of Dani Harrison (Tallahassee, Fla.), Nichole 

Riedel (Denver, Colo.) and Angelica Crump (Atlanta, Ga.). The trio finished the event in a seven-way tie for ninth place.

 

“Against Notre Dame, the team of Harrison, Riedel and Crump were down 13-6 at one point of a game,” Peterson 

said. “But, they came back and made a spectacular 7-0 run to pull it out. That seven-point run was the difference 

between them making it into the Silver Bracket instead of the Bronze, and those eight or nine points were what 

propelled us into the No. 1 spot.”

 

The Knights finished the opening round of pool play undefeated, as Crump/Harrison defeated Stetson, 

Fisher/McCutcheon took down Florida Gulf Coast and Vilde/Murphy swept Webber, all by scores of 2-0. 

Youngblood/Reiterova would complete the opening round in a 1-1 tie with Jacksonville.

 

Murphy and Vilde entered bracket play as the No. 2 seed in the Gold Division, where they would start off the 

action with a victory over Florida Gulf Coast and advance to the Elite Eight. But, a computer error would determine 

that the pair played the wrong team and would have to replay the opener. The squad was not distracted by the error and 

would go on to defeat the right opponent to officially advance to the Elite Eight. The pair would drop its next match to 

Miami, however, to finish the event tied for fifth out of 59 total pairs.

 

The journey was not quite as dramatic for the team of Fisher and McCutcheon, as they handily dropped Florida State 

out of contention with an opening-round victory, but would succumb to another pair from Florida State in round two to 

conclude the tournament tied for fifth.

 

The final team to compete in the Gold Division was Youngblood and Reiterova, and they finished the tournament in a tie 

for ninth after falling in a nail biter, 15-14, to Florida Gulf Coast in the opening round.

 

A lot of the success of the team over the weekend was due in large part to the Knights’ hard work training in the week 

leading up to the event under the direction of Peterson.

 

“I think this was a great opportunity to be put into the position where I could share some of what I have learned playing 

in qualifiers and trying to make the AVP tour,” Peterson said. “I understand the hard work it takes to play beach volleyball 

and I think I was able to instill a little bit of that into them and was able to give them some pretty fun drills that I know 

not a lot of people out there are doing. Overall, being able to serve as the head coach for this event and seeing what I 

was teaching translate to the court was a really fun experience for me.”

 

 For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com – the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, 

which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF’s new online apparel store. 

Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

 

-UCF-

 

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ESPN College Volleyball Color Analyst Phil Bush Blogs At The Fiesta On Siesta Keys Sand Tournament

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ESPN College Volleyball Color Analyst Phil Bush Blogs At The Fiesta On Siesta Keys Sand Tournament

SIESTA KEY, Fla. – The second annual Fiesta on Siesta Key, returned yesterday on April 17, to Siesta Key, Fla. The event last year was one of the largest collegiate volleyball competitions ever held, and the event this year proved to be even bigger.

"As the players and coaches who were here last spring found out, Siesta Key is a beautiful, expansive beach.”

“The Fiesta on Siesta Key will once again be a number of beach/sand volleyball tournaments in one” Fiesta Co-Director David Carstenson said.

“The event will be comprised of the 3rd Annual SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships and the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge.”

Tournament co-director Tom Collett added: “The coaches of the SEC have been on the leading edge of the push to make beach/sand volleyball an NCAA sanctioned sport.”

Other schools at the Fiesta will compete in the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge. As was the case last year, schools from like conferences will compete against each other. “If we don‟t meet the required level of participation from a particular conference, we will mix and match schools in round robin style play” explained Carstenson.

Schools that have committed to play at the Fiesta on Siesta Key:

Third-Annual SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championship:

University of Alabama 

Louisiana State University 

University of South Carolina 

University of Florida 

University of Tennessee

University of Georgia

Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge Teams  confirmed:

Florida Gulf Coast University 

Florida State University 

State College of Florida

University of Central Florida 

Florida Atlantic University 

Notre Dame University

University of North Florida 

University of Southern Florida

University of Miami 

Webber International University University of South Florida 

Stetson University 

University Jacksonville University 

S.C.A.D.

St. Petersburg College

“The Fiesta on Siesta Key will again be a celebration of women's collegiate beach volleyball, an (unofficial) beach championship event. The Fiesta on Siesta Key will take place on one day, and what a day it will be!” concluded Carstenson.

As I get photos, pics and video of the event I will post them up this week. In the meantime take a look at this beautiful slideshow from last year's collegiate beach volleyball's event photographed by Siren of Song and featured on flickr. 

Several players who participated in the event blogged about their experience and I'll link to those as well.

Speaking of blogging, Phil Bush, ESPN Color analyst and college volleyball commentator was the official Fiesta on Siesta Keys blogger for the all-day Saturday event. Be sure to check out his blog or scroll down and click on links I made to some of my favorite entries. You can follow Phil Bush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/psbush.

Links to Phil's Posts are below;

On The Way To Most Beautiful Beach in the World

Siesta Key is Packed!

Opening Ceremonies are Done!

Fierce Competition!!!

Lane Carico and Laci McGee - Hurricanes Watch!

Interviewed the SEC Coaches

LSU's Tigers on the Prowl!

Gators are Doing well

Defending Champ Lady Vol Back For More!

Dolphins are Flying High!!

SEC Tourney winding down - Playoffs getting close!

Some Great teams in the Collegiate Division

Notre Dame came the farthest!!

I won't be the spoiler, read Phil's Fiesta on Siesta blog for quarterfinal, semis and championship action!

UCF Volleyball Set to Participate at the Fiesta on the Siesta Beach Volleyball Tournament

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UCF Volleyball Set to Participate at the Fiesta on the Siesta Beach Volleyball Tournament

The Knights took home second-place honors last season at the event.   

                                     

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – After months spent training indoors, the UCF volleyball team is set to travel to Siesta Key Beach for the second year in a row to participate in the Fiesta on the Siesta Beach Volleyball Tournament Saturday. All of the beach volleyball action is set to get underway at 10 a.m.

 

The squad has spent the last week training on the beach courts preparing for the weekend. Assistant coach Erik Peterson and volunteer assistant coach Tyler Adams have been running the outdoor practices. Together, this duo has many years of beach experience and head coach Todd Dagenais was excited for the team to learn from their time spent on the beach court.

 

“We are excited because this gives Erik and Tyler a great opportunity to lend their expertise in the outdoor game,” Dagenais said. “Both of them are knowledgeable on the nuances of beach volleyball and the team is picking up on their training very well. Erik will serve as the head coach for the event and this weekend will give him a chance to display his coaching leadership.”

 

The Fiesta on the Siesta will host 58 pairs from colleges around the country, with one of the Black and Gold’s top beach pairs, Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) and Sara Rex (Tampa, Fla.), looking to improve on their silver-medal performance from last year.

 

“Sarah and Kristin made an exciting run to medal last year and we are looking for even bigger things out of this partnership this year,” Dagenais said.

 

Another beach pair looking to dominate the day is the retired senior Andee Youngblood (Castle Rock, Colo.) and newcomer Marie Reiterova (Luxembourg, Luxembourg)

 

“Marie is an accomplished beach player and we are really looking forward to seeing her shine in a sport she is very comfortable with,” Dagenais said. “Andee is such a strong overall player and we think this is going to be a partnership that has a chance to win the event.”

 

The Knights enter the event with some extra motivation, to avenge their second place finish in 2009. USF finished as the top overall team for the day last year. This year, the Knights are looking to dethrone the Bulls and take home the gold.

 

Updates and results from the day will be posted on ucfathletics.com Sunday after the event.

 

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com – the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF’s new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

 

-UCF-

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LSU Volleyball Team Heads to SEC Coaches Beach Championships

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LSU Volleyball Team Heads to SEC Coaches Beach Championships

 

BATON ROUGE – The LSU volleyball team continues its spring season Saturday at the third annual SEC Coaches Beach Championships on the sands of Siesta Key. The event gets underway at 10 a.m.

 

“We’re very excited to play in such an excellent event and are definitely looking forward to playing some great competition against our fellow SEC foes,” assistant coach Steve Loeswick said. “The training on the sand has been a great addition for not only our overall athleticism, but for our overall vision of the game. With two players per side, the beach game forces our players to be competent at every skill. We’ve already seen an increase in each person’s overall skill set during our beach training.”

 

The Tigers will face off against teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. LSU’s four teams consist of Angela Bensend and Michele Williams along with Brittany Johnson and Lauren Waclawczyk. Meghan Mannari and Tania Schatow in addition to Sam Delahoussaye and Madie Jones also are scheduled to compete.

 

LSU concludes its spring season next weekend at the Maravich Center.

 

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and women's pro volleyball players, self-coaching and volleyball training 

information, a gift and shopping directory, beach volleyball pictures and indoor 

volleyball videos.

 

 

Lady Vol Volleyball Team Set To Take Part In Second Annual Fiesta on Siesta Key This Weekend

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Lady Vol Volleyball Team Set To Take Part In Second Annual Fiesta on Siesta Key This Weekend

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the third consecutive year, the University of Tennessee volleyball team will travel to 

the Sunshine State to compete in the SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships, which will be held in

conjunction with the second annual Fiesta on Siesta Key on Saturday, April 17 in Siesta Key, Fla.

 

“This is always an exciting time of year for our players,” UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. 

“They love to compete in this tournament every spring and it is a great opportunity for them to develop 

their all-around skills while playing some competitive volleyball in a fun environment. 

Beach volleyball is an exciting sport and this experience will only help to make us a better indoor team 

for the upcoming season.”

 

The Lady Vols will send 10 competitors to this year’s event where they will compete against teams 

from five other Southeastern conference squads in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU and South Carolina. 

Leading the way for Tennessee will be third-time competitor and defending Gold Division champion, junior 

Nikki Fowler.

 

Making the trip for the second time will be junior Leah Hinkey, sophomores Kayla Jeter, Kelsey 

Mahoney and Amanda Friday and redshirt freshman DeeDee Harrison. Junior Emily Steinbeck and 

freshmen Jasmine Brown, Leslie Cikra and Kylann Scheidt will be making their first appearance at the 

competition.

 

The Orange and White put on a strong showing in 2009, highlighted by the efforts of Fowler and 

Kylie Marshall who came home with the tournament title after winning the Gold Division championship. 

The duo proved itself to be the top pairing in the SEC by claiming four wins in the playoffs against the 

best teams the rest of the league had to offer.

 

This year, UT’s top pairing will feature Fowler and Jeter, while Scheidt and Hinkey will comprise the 

second unit. The Lady Vols’ third squad will include Mahoney and Brown and Friday and Cikra will join 

forces to form the fourth tandem. Harrison and Steinbeck will make up the fifth and final doubles team 

for the Big Orange.

 

Pool play for the competition will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. In addition, a Beach Dodgeball 

Competition organized by SOCO Sports, for which proceeds will benefit a local charity, will be played at 

Noon. The event is open to the general public.

 

PROBABLE LADY VOL PAIRINGS

1. Nikki Fowler / Kayla Jeter

2. Leah Hinkey / Kylann Scheidt

3. Kelsey Mahoney / Jasmine Brown

4. Amanda Friday / Leslie Cikra

5. DeeDee Harrison / Emily Steinbeck

 

PLAYER BIOS

Nikki Fowler

Junior

6-2

Dallas, Texas (Plano West H.S.)

 

A two-time AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, Nikki Fowler has been one of Tennessee’s best 

all-around players over the past three seasons. The Dallas, Texas, native has led the Lady Vols in 

kills in all three of her years at Rocky Top and currently ranks 12th on the school’s career kills chart 

with 1,256. In 2009, Fowler paced the Big Orange with 459 kills, good for an average of 3.79 per set 

en route to All-SEC First Team honors. She also ranked second on the squad with 398 digs (3.29 per set) 

and 25 aces and was third with 108 blocks (0.89 per set). At the inaugural Fiesta on Siesta Key, Fowler 

joined forces with Kylie Marshall to win all four of her playoff matches and stake claim to the Gold Division 

championship. With the graduation of Marshall, Fowler will look to defend her title with new partner, 

Kayla Jeter.

 

Kayla Jeter

Sophomore

5-11

Solon, Ohio (Solon H.S.)

 

In her first two seasons at Tennessee, Kayla Jeter has established herself as one of the most 

dangerous offensive weapons that the Lady Vols have to offer. The Solon, Ohio, native and daughter of 

former NFL star Gary Jeter, she had a breakout season in 2009, tallying 353 kills to finish second 

on the squad and help her earn a spot on the All-SEC Second Team at the conclusion of the season. 

Jeter will be partnered with junior Nikki Fowler, who is looking to defend her 2009 Fiesta on Siesta Key 

Gold Division championship after winning it a year ago with Kylie Marshall. 

Last year, Jeter teamed up with Kelsey Mahoney on the sand. The duo won its first four matches of 

the competition before being ousted in the second round of the Bronze division playoffs.

 

Leah Hinkey

Junior

6-1

Glenwood Springs, Colo. (Glenwood Springs H.S.)

 

After suffering a season-ending knee injury early in the 2008 campaign, Leah Hinkey came back as 

strong as ever in 2009, finishing with 196 kills and a team-best 143 blocks, good for an average of 1.20 

per set. A redshirt junior from Glenwood Springs, Colo., Hinkey ranks fourth in Tennessee history with 

452 total blocks and second with a 1.27 blocks per frame. She will team up with first-semester 

freshman setter Kylann Scheidt to form the Orange and White’s second pairing this weekend.   

 

Kylann Scheidt

Freshman

6-1

Knoxville, Tenn. (Farragut H.S.)

 

The first scholarship player from Knoxville during UT Head Coach Rob Patrick’s 13-year tenure at Rocky Top, 

Kylann Scheidt is in her first semester of college after joining the Lady Vol program in January. 

A 2010 ESPN RISE High School All-America Second Team selection, Scheidt graduated from Farragut High School 

in January. She was also previously named an Under Armour Girls High School First Team All-American by the 

AVCA and, as such, was selected to participate in a match and skills competition at the St. Pete Time Forum in 

conjunction with the 209 AVCA Annual Convention and NCAA Final Four. A 6-1 setter, Scheidt will be paired with 

junior middle blocker Leah Hinkey at this year’s Fiesta on Siesta Key.

 

Kelsey Mahoney

Sophomore

5-10

Fort Worth, Texas (Keller-Central H.S.)

 

Tennessee’s primary setter in each of the past two seasons, sophomore Kelsey Mahoney will team up 

with freshman Jasmine Brown for this weekend’s festivities. On the hardwood last year, the Fort Worth, 

Texas, product topped all Lady Vol players with a total of 842 assists, good for an average of 6.96 per set. 

She also led the squad with 28 aces and ranked fourth with 236 digs (1.95 per set). She currently sits 

in seventh in the UT career record book with 1,533 assists and ninth on the assists per set list with 6.39.

 

Jasmine Brown

Freshman

5-8

Chattanooga, Tenn. (Girls Preparatory School)

 

A freshman from Chattanooga, Tenn., Jasmine Brown saw time on the court in 11 matches during her 

rookie campaign, primarily as a serving and defensive specialist. She recorded 11 digs in 26 sets of 

action. Brown will be partnered with sophomore setter Kelsey Mahoney as part of Tennessee’s third 

pairing at the Fiesta on Siesta this weekend.

 

Amanda Friday

Sophomore

5-7

Springfield, Va. (Robert E. Lee H.S.)

 

Tennessee’s primary serving specialist in 2009, sophomore Amanda Friday played in all 32 of the Orange 

and White’s matches last season, collecting 68 digs, three assists, a trio of aces and two kills. 

The Springfield, Va., native will team up with freshman outside hitter Leslie Cikra to form the 

Lady Vols’ fourth pairing at the Fiesta on Siesta Key this weekend. This is her second appearance on 

the beach as she also took part in the festivities last season.

 

Leslie Cikra

Freshman

6-3

Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Chagrin Falls H.S.)

 

Leslie Cikra made a strong first impression during her initial season at Tennessee, collecting SEC All-Freshman 

team honors after recording 153 kills and 45 blocks in her rookie campaign. A 6-3 outside hitter from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 

Cikra will be paired with 5-7 defensive specialist Amanda Friday on the Lady Vols’ fourth unit this weekend at the 

Fiesta on Siesta Key beach championships.

 

DeeDee Harrison

Redshirt Freshman

6-3

Nashville, Tenn. (Hillsboro H.S.)

 

After redshirting her first year at Tennessee, 6-3 middle blocker DeeDee Harrison saw action in 15 contests in 2009, starting 

one match. The daughter of former NFL standout Dennis “Bigfoot” Harrison and sister of former NBA center David Harrison, 

she tallied 13 kills and 12 blocks in 15 sets last season. Harrison will join forces with junior setter Emily Steinbeck to comprise 

the Lady Vols’ fifth beach tandem at the Fiesta on Siesta Key this weekend. She also competed at the event last spring.

 

Emily Steinbeck

Junior

5-8

Arlington Heights, Ill. (Tennessee-Martin)

 

Making her first appearance on the beach will be junior setter Emily Steinbeck. A transfer from Tennessee-Martin, she served as 

a vital component of the Lady Vols’ 6-2 offense for most of 2009, recording 384 assists, 124 digs, 19 kills and 15 aces. Steinbeck 

will team up with redshirt freshman middle blocker DeeDee Harrison to form UT’s fifth pairing at this year’s Fiesta on Siesta Key.

 

##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##

 

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