Beach Season Preview: 5 Things to Know about the Hatters

The 2018 Stetson beach volleyball season gets underway this weekend at the Cooper Beach Courts. As the Hatters prepare to host the Stetson Spring Fling, here are five things you need to know about this year's squad.

1.    The Hatters may be young, but they have plenty of depth and options for pairs

Stetson will enter the 2018 season with seven juniors, six sophomores, and three freshmen on the roster. That's right, there are no seniors, but this core of players will enjoy at least two full seasons together.

Fifth-year head coach Kristina Hernandez is excited about the depth and skill level of her team.

"Most of them are playing really well with a lot of people, and I think that has been both a good thing and a challenge because we like so many different combinations," Hernandez said. "Even when we jumble up the lineup, it still has been really good. So it is a matter of finding the lineup that is going to be the best fit for the entire team."

The Hatters have been training since the start of the school year, and the team is ready to finally start competing.

"Practice has been going well, and the energy has been really good," Hernandez added. "They have been working really hard and diligently, so we are excited to get the season started."

2. Helland-Hansen and Perales are ready for prime time.

Last season, Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales joined forces midway through the season, and the freshman pair dominated down the stretch, sweeping all 10 of their matches against ASUN opponents and earning the title of Pair of the Tournament for the ASUN Championship.

Last season's success came at the 5 seed. Now, following a stellar fall season and even more improvement in the spring, Helland-Hansen and Perales are primed to go to compete as one of the Hatters' top seeds.

"They have been playing really well together," Hernandez said. "They have grown a lot over just this spring period. They have a great connection with each other. They are good with other people but they make each other much better. They have won everything at practice and they won every time we scrimmaged, so they have earned it at this point."

Hernandez says the pair's speed and setting ability allows them to run a very fast-paced offense. The sophomore duo will get some early tests as the Hatters face several top-ranked teams opening weekend.

3.    Dunn Seeking Repeat Performance

The remaining member of Stetson's ASUN Pair of the Year team, sophomore Darby Dunn is seeking another standout campaign. Dunn, a freshman last year and paired with senior Kristin Lind at the 2 seed, led the league with 24 dual match victories. Dunn earned several victories over ranked opponents, including one over top-ranked USC, and she won all 13 of her matches against ASUN opponents.

"Right now, we have Darby with Sammee Thomas, who has a ton of experience and is a really great player," Hernandez said. "They played together for the majority of the fall and were very successful. I think that is a stable option for us."

Thomas is a junior transfer from Long Beach State where she earned all-Big West Conference honors in 2016.

Hernandez said Dunn has also been paired with her Team Canada partner Quinci Birker. The two have a great deal of international experience playing together, including a trip to the FIVB U21 World Championships in Nanjing, China.

4.    Every Match Matters, Right From The Start

Stetson begins the season with a No. 15 ranking in the AVCA Preseason Poll. Of the eight other East Region teams ranked in the poll, the Hatters play seven of them, including three this weekend. Those matches carry extra significance because only the top three teams in the East (with a potential of two additional wild card spots) are selected for the NCAA Championships in May.

"We have to put ourselves on the line and play those matches," Hernandez said. "Some of them we only play once, so it is very much like football - that one match is going to count. We saw that last year where one or two games ended up being our season. We have been trying to focus on practicing with intensity every day, so that they are ready for that, but we have to play that schedule if we want to compete for an NCAA bid."

The Hatters will face Eckerd and No. 12 Georgia State on Friday, and No. 8 South Carolina, and No. 4 Florida State on Saturday. Visit the tournament central page for a full schedule and links to live scoring.

5.    The Goal is the NCAAs

With the growth of the sport and more teams competing for NCAA bids, the competition each weekend gets stronger and stronger. The Hatters qualified for the NCAA Championship in 2016 but missed out last season.

"When we talk about goals, it is always about getting to the NCAA Championships," Hernandez said. "I think what we do in our region is really important from top to bottom. Every single team we play in the East Region is going to matter, regardless of who it is. We don't want to take anyone for granted, nor do we want to put anyone on a pedestal. With every weekend being tough, we just have to focus on what is right in front of us and try to get through that hurdle before moving on to the next one. It is a pressure-filled season, and we have to take it game-by-game and go from there."

The NCAA Championship will be held May 4-6 in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Admission to all home beach volleyball events is free. For more coverage, follow the Stetson beach volleyball team on twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and sign up for the HatCheck text messaging service.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Kristin Lind: 5' 7"; Senior

#15 Darby Dunn: 6' 0"; Sophomore

#14 Sunniva Helland-Hansen: 5' 8"; Sophomore

#13 Carly Perales: 5' 9"; Sophomore

#22 Quinci Birker: 5' 10"; Freshman

#10 Sammee Thomas: 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#10 Kristin Lind
: 5' 7"; Senior

#15 Darby Dunn
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

#14 Sunniva Helland-Hansen
: 5' 8"; Sophomore

#13 Carly Perales
: 5' 9"; Sophomore

#22 Quinci Birker
: 5' 10"; Freshman

#10 Sammee Thomas
: 5' 7"; Junior

Stetson University Athletics

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Beach Season Preview: 5 Things to Know about the Hatters

Players Mentioned

#10 Kristin Lind

#15 Darby Dunn

#14 Sunniva Helland-Hansen

#13 Carly Perales

#22 Quinci Birker

#10 Sammee Thomas

Players Mentioned

#10 Kristin Lind

#15 Darby Dunn

#14 Sunniva Helland-Hansen

#13 Carly Perales

#22 Quinci Birker

#10 Sammee Thomas