Beach Volleyball March 25, 2017 Athletic Communications

Hatters Get Clutch Performances in Saturday Sweep

Stetson wins 3-2 against two Top 10 opponents

Columbia, S.C. -- The Hatters came into Saturday's matches needing two big performances against a pair of Top 10 teams from the Eastern Region, and they got it.

Stetson defeated No. 9 Georgia State 3-2 in the morning and No. 9 South Carolina 3-2 in the afternoon to sweep the first day of the Gamecock Grand Slam at Wheeler Beach in Columbia, S.C.

The 13th-ranked Hatters improved to 7-8 on the season after winning their first two matches against Top 10 opponents this season.

Stetson was fueled by the play of its 2 and 3 seeds, who each went a perfect 2-0 on the day. The Hatters also got huge wins from the 4 seed against Georgia State and the 5 seed against South Carolina.

Of the five matches that went the full three sets, the Hatters were victorious in four of them.

"We had a lot of great play today," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "We closed out the really tight sets and the third sets, and that was the difference. It was a very aggressive team effort all the way around."

Against Georgia State, Tiffany Creamer and Rachel Noble won 2-1 at the 4 seed (15-13 third set) and Darby Dunn and Kristin Lind captured a key 15-12 third-set win at the 2 seed to help give Stetson an early 2-0 lead. Then at the 3 seed, Emily Carroll and Kaylee Anderson won 21-14, 21-19 to clinch the match for the Hatters.

Against the host Gamecocks, Lind and Dunn got Stetson on the board first, and then Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales picked up a huge three-set win at the 5 seed (15-11 third set).

With the score tied 2-2, Anderson and Carroll again scored the decisive point, taking a 21-12, 24-22 victory at the 3 seed.

"Our 2 and 3 seeds were strong the entire day and really led the way for us," Hernandez said. "During the South Carolina match, our 5 seed pulled out a great three-set win that really turned the tables. Then Kaylee and Emily (3 seed) came back from a 12-7 deficit in the second set to win 24-22."

Stetson will return to action Sunday against No. 1 Southern Cal at 9 a.m. and No. 4 Florida State at 3 p.m. USC has won 44 matches in a row.

vs. #9 Georgia State (W, 3-2)

1. Delaney Rohan/Chelsea Ross (GSU) def. Samantha Harris/Maggie Skjelbred (STET) 21-19, 21-15

2. Kristin Lind/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Haley Pa'akaula/LeeAnn Starr (GSU) 21-11, 16-21, 15-12

3. Kaylee Anderson/Emily Carroll (STET) def. Natalie Wilson/Amie Held (GSU) 21-14, 21-19

4. Tiffany Creamer/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Jessica Fourspring/Brooke Weiner (GSU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-13

5. Olivia Stasevich/Georgia Johnson (GSU) def. Jamie Walsh/Alexa Richardson (STET) 21-16, 21-10

Ext. Carly Perales/S. Helland-Hansen (STET) def. Kate Novack/Allie Elson (GSU) 21-15, 21-18

vs. #9 South Carolina (W, 3-2)

1. Adrianna Culbert/Ali Denney (SC) def. Maggie Skjelbred/Samantha Harris (STET) 21-16, 21-16

2. Darby Dunn/Kristin Lind (STET) def. Katie Zimmerman/Katie Smith (SC) 21-17, 19-21, 15-10

3. Emily Carroll/Kaylee Anderson (STET) def. Carly Schnieder/Julia Mannisto (SC) 21-12, 24-22

4. Shannon Williams/Macie Tendrich (SC) def. Tiffany Creamer/Rachel Noble (STET) 21-18, 16-21, 15-13