CHAMPIONS AGAIN! Hatters Capture 2018 ASUN Beach Championship

Stetson defeats UNF to win back-to-back titles

DeLand, Fla. -- Rachel Noble thought she had won the match on her previous attempt, but when the referee signaled the point to the Ospreys, the Hatter junior made sure her next swing left no doubt.

Noble spiked down the championship-winning point on court 3 as Stetson defeated UNF 3-1 to capture the 2018 ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship Sunday afternoon at the Cooper Beach Courts.

The Hatters (30-8) won their second consecutive conference title and their fourth championship in the past five years.

"Every point (we got closer) fired us up," Noble said. "Sam set me a ball that was perfect and I went for it. To be conference champions and have that honor two years in a row, it just feels incredible."

"I am really proud of them," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "Bec and Q had a great tournament and I think set the pace for us the whole weekend. It was a really competitive match the whole way, and I am glad it was like that."

Stetson won the first point of the match on court 5 as Rebecca Ingram and Quinci Birker won 21-11, 21-16. The Australian-Canadian pair won all six sets on the weekend to earn all-tournament team honors.

UNF tied the match with a 2-0 win at the 4 seed, but the Hatters took over during the second wave.

On court 2, Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales won 21-19, 21-12 to give Stetson a 2-1 lead. The sophomore pair went 3-0 on the weekend and earned ASUN Pair of the Tournament honors for the second year in a row.

"There are a lot of good 2 pairs in this tournament, and UNF's 2s are really strong," Hernandez said. "I thought (Carly and Sunniva) matched up really well with them each round. You could tell they had a lot of confidence and just played really strong for us."

On court 3, Samantha Harris and Noble won 22-20 in a tight first set before finishing off a 21-17 victory in set 2. The pair were quickly mobbed by their teammates.

"I am just really excited for this team and our program, and for Rach and Sam to be able to clinch that win for us," Hernandez said. "It was awesome for them."

Stetson hit the 30-win mark for the first time in school history. The Hatters also swept all 13 ASUN matches for the second year in a row.

The Hatters will now wait to see if they are one of eight teams selected for the NCAA Championship. The selection show will be broadcast next Sunday night.

Stetson 3, UNF 1

1. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) vs. Carina Hoff/Courtney Miller (UNF) 21-15, 16-21, 8-8, unfinished

2. Carly Perales/Sunniva Helland-Hansen (STET) def. Taryn Griffey/Chaney Howard (UNF) 21-19, 21-12

3. Rachel Noble/Samantha Harris (STET) def. Brittany Pase/Callie Workman (UNF) 22-20, 21-17

4. Madilyn McCarty/Nicole DeBolt (UNF) def. Lauren Durham/Julie Varga (STET) 27-25, 21-18

5. Quinci Birker/Rebecca Ingram (STET) def. Mallory Waggoner/Casey Justice (UNF) 21-11, 21-16

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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