HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Washington beach volleyball team wrapped up its fall schedule with valuable learning opportunities at the AVCA Pairs Championship in Huntsville, Ala., and the GCU Pairs Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz.
Head coach Derek Olson reflected on the experience:
“I can only speak for the pairs national championship, but I thought it was a good learning experience for all four of the girls. Three of the four are pretty inexperienced at the NCAA level, so it was good for them to compete against the best teams from across the country over three days. We are nowhere near where we’ll be in the spring, so this was a necessary step in our team’s development.”
Freshman Niki Egan stood out with her resilience and growth throughout the competition.
“I was especially proud of the way Niki competed because she is a true freshman who played a lot of indoor in high school. She competed really well and held her own against strong teams,” said Olson.
Lauren Wilcock and Katarina Pantovic started strong with a pool play win over Arizona State University’s Besecker/Morin. Egan, paired with Jade Sadeiko, earned a decisive victory over Stetson University’s Czurylo/Gubik on the third day.
The rest of the team continued its development at the GCU Pairs Tournament, trying new pairings in competitive matches.
“The tournament was a good experience. We tried out some different pairs that we hadn’t gotten to see yet. The results were up and down, but that’s what you want in a fall tournament: some good things to build on and recognizing what we need to improve on,” shared assistant coach Steve McFadden.
Emma Hohenauer and Alina Urzua excelled in the first and second pair pools, with key wins, including a victory over Arizona State’s Haughy/Meyers on Sunday. The pair of Allen/Wimmer rounded out the tournament as 1’s and 2’s Silver Bracket Champions with wins against Boise State University’s Vetter/Wolf and University of Arizona’s Horwath/Lambeth.
“The team is starting to show more personality each time we compete, and I like the direction we’re headed,” McFadden added.
Complete UW Pairs Results below from the AVCA Pairs Championship…
Day One Pool Play
Lauren Wilcock/Katarina Pantovic def. Besecker/Morin (ASU) — 22-20, 21-10
L. Wilcock/Pantovic lost to Poletti-Corrales/Rosenthal (LMU) — 19-21, 18-21
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