Huntsville, Ala.— Entering the second day of competition at the inaugural 2022 Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship in Huntsville, the No. 15 ranked Georgia State beach volleyball team rallied down 2-0 to defeat top-seeded No. 10 Florida Atlantic, 3-2, in the conference semifinals on Friday. With the victory in the third round of the double elimination tournament, head coach Beth Van Fleet and the Panthers advance to the first-ever C-USA Beach Volleyball Championship Final and will play the winner of No. 10 FAU versus No. 13 FIU on Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m. ET.
No. 3-seeded GSU opened tournament play with a pair of wins facing No. 6 seed Southern Miss and No. 2 seed FIU on Thursday. Friday saw the Panthers face off against FAU with the opportunity to secure a spot in the C-USA title match.
The Panthers battled at flights No. 1 and No. 2 ultimately falling short at each court as the team fell behind, 2-0, for the dual match score. After dropping first sets at flights No. 3 and No. 4, pairs on each court rallied for three-set victories at both positions.
Yasmin Kuck and Kayla Whetstone found victory at the third flight in three sets, 13-21, 21-16, 15-11, earning GSU its first point of the match. All-Conference USA First-Team pair Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary tied the match at 2-2 with a three-set victory, 20-22, 21-18, 15-13, at the fourth flight.
With the results at flight No. 5 to decide the outcome of the match, Chloee Kleespies and Becky Tresham downed opponents at the fifth court in a thrilling three-set battle, 21-12, 20-22, 17-15, earning the Panthers a third point and clinching the victory for GSU, 3-2.
Now 25-11 for the season, the Panthers await the winner of Saturday morning's outing between FAU and FIU with the victor advancing to the title for a rematch.
The championship will be hosted by the conference at John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville on Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with links posted to the team's social media accounts and online schedule page.
Additional information regarding the C-USA Championship will be provided on social media and can be found on the GSU beach volleyball webpage. Follow @GSUBeachVB on Twitter and Instagram for continued news and announcements leading up to Saturday's conference title match.
C-USA Beach Volleyball Championship- Day two recap
Match 6:
(7) ULM 3, (6) Southern Miss 2
P1 Audrey Brooks/Kayla Gallant (ULM) def. Breleigh Favre/Aleksandra Kudzik (USM) 21-13, 19-21, 15-8
P2 Julia Blazek/Rylin Adams (ULM) def. Vanessa Hurnikova/Konstance Garraway (USM) 23-21, 21-18
P3 Taylor Pierce/Olivia Hepworth (USM) def. Elizabeth Moreland/Brooke Hoven (ULM) 21-11, 21-18
P4 Kaitlyn Nowak/Avery Reynolds (ULM) def. Hallie Phelan/Valeria Siakidou (USM) 22-20, 25-23
P5 Carmen Delgado/Kai Norman (USM) def. Abigail Elder/Abbey Bufkin (ULM) 21-11, 21-19
Order of Finish 5, 3, 4, 1, 2
Match 7:
(2) FIU 3, (5) Coastal Carolina 2
P1 Paige Kalkhoff/Giada Bianchi (FIU) def. Martine Kragholm/Saarah Riedell (CC) 21-17, 21-13
P2 Irena Drobnjak/Ellie Hanford (CC) def. Roberta Ribeiro/Rocky Mancinelli (FIU) 21-17, 19-21, 15-11
P3 Emily Meyer/Zuza Bialek (FIU) def. Natalie Honzovicova/Elena Sanchez (CC) 21-11, 21-14
P4 Kendall Mather/Lisa Luini (FIU) def. Madie Lichty/Madison Allred (CC) 18-21, 21-14, 15-11
P5 Carli Ginther/Raychel Ehlers (CC) def. Gina Lipscomb/Anna Davis (FIU) 21-15, 21-17
Order of Finish 1, 3, 5, 2, 4
Match 8:
(4) UAB 4, (7) ULM
P1 Rachel Tam/Adriana Pereira (UAB) def. Audrey Brooks/Kayla Gallant (ULM) 21-17, 21-17
P2 Arden Copping/Mikayla Law-Heese (UAB) def. Julia Blazek/Rylin Adams (ULM) 21-16, 15-21, 15-9
P3 Naomi Ortiz/Dylynn Otte (UAB) def. Elizabeth Moreland/Brooke Hoven (ULM) 21-15, 21-16
P4 Jenna Gathright/Emma Andraka (UAB) def. Kaitlyn Nowak/Avery Reynolds (ULM) 21-11, 21-12
P5 Jessica Ennis/Ella Alexander (UAB) def. Abigail Elder/Abbey Bufkin (ULM) 20-22, 21-19, 15-13
Order of Finish 3, 4, 1, 2, 5
Match 9:
(3) Georgia State 3, (1) Florida Atlantic 2
P1 Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) def. Kelly Dorn/Elise Saga (GSU) 24-22, 21-12
P2 Courtney Moon/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Eden Hawes/Maddy Delmonte (GSU) 21-12, 21-15
P3 Kayla Whetstone/Yasmin Kuck (GSU) def. Ellie Austin/Julie Honzvicova (FAU) 13-21, 21-16, 15-11
P4 Angel Ferary/Bella Ferary (GSU) def. Jillienne Candelosi/Christine Jarman (FAU) 20-22, 21-18, 15-13
P5 Chloee Kleepsies/Becky Tresham (GSU) def. Logan Mignerey/Mica Allison (FAU) 21-12, 20-22, 17-15
Order of Finish 2, 1, 3, 4, 5
Match 10:
(2) FIU 4, (4) UAB 1
P1 Paige Kalkhoff/Giada Bianchi (FIU) def. Rachel Tam/Adriana Pereira (UAB) 21-15, 21-11
P2 Roberta Ribeiro/Rocky Mancinelli (FIU) def. Arden Copping/Mikayla Law-Heese (UAB) 21-18, 17-21, 15-8
P3 Emily Meyer/Zuza Bialek (FIU) def. Naomi Ortiz/Dylynn Otte (UAB) 21-15, 21-14
P4 Kendall Mather/Lisa Luini (FIU) def. Jenna Gathright/Emma Andraka (UAB) 21-16, 21-10
P5 Jessica Ennis/Ella Alexander (UAB) def. Gina Lipscomb/Anna Davis (FIU) 21-18, 21-16
Order of Finish 1, 3, 4, 5, 2
