Beach Volleyball March 19, 2019 Athletic Communications

Hatters Rally for Tripleheader Sweep

DeLand, Fla. -- After defeating FAU 4-1 in the morning, Stetson found itself in a battle with the Owls in the afternoon rematch.

Trailing 2-0 after the first wave, the Hatters posted wins at each of the top three seeds to complete a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over No. 16 FAU Tuesday afternoon at the Cooper Beach Courts.

The victory capped off a tripleheader sweep for the 10th-ranked Hatters (12-3) as Stetson also defeated Southeastern 5-0.

"I thought FAU really challenged us, and we didn't respond very well," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "But I was really glad to see our 1s, 2s, and 3s go in there and really pull it out for us. To see them grind it out and fight for it, I was really happy to see."

The afternoon match came down to the No. 1 seed where recently named AVCA national Pair of the Week Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales battled into a third set. With the crowd cheering and all eyes on Court 1, Helland-Hansen served a match-winning ace to seal the victory.

"Honestly, Sunni and I love playing in those moments," Perales said. "So many fans tell us it was an edge of your seat kind of game, and that's what drives us to play our best. That's why we stay so calm in third games."

Stetson also got a clutch 2-0 win from Sammee Thomas and Darby Dunn at the 2 seed, as well as a 2-0 win from Rachel Noble and Ana Costa at the 3 seed. The victory allowed Noble and Costa to avenge a loss to FAU earlier in the day.

"Luckily the team had our back for the first match, so it was our turn to have the team's back," Noble said. "We just stayed a little more aggressive and more consistent on our side, and we just swung away."

Julie Varga and Samantha Harris went 2-1 on the day, while Quinci Birker and Rebecca Ingram split a pair of matches. Alexa Richardson and Yasmin Kuck were victorious at the 4 seed against Southeastern.

The Hatters will now travel to Tallahassee this weekend for the Seminole Beach Battle. Stetson will face Austin Peay and No. 15 Arizona on Friday and No. 3 Florida State on Saturday.

Notes:

The Hatters have won seven in a row overall
Stetson has defeated seven Top 20 opponents this season
Sunniva Helland-Hansen won her 60th career dual

Stetson 4, FAU 1

1. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def. Carly Scarborough/Nicole Navarro (FAU) 21-13, 21-15

2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) 21-19, 21-18

3. Amanda Silva/Nicole Grant (FAU) def. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) 21-16, 20-22, 15-13

4. Julie Varga/Samantha Harris (STET) def. Kaila Dorish/Savannah Pesante (FAU) 21-18, 21-17

5. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) def. Megan Mcgrath/Jillenne Cangelosi (FAU) 21-18, 14-21, 15-11

Ext. Alexa Richardson/Yasmin Kuck (STET) def. Sam Gott/Mazarine Tsuji (FAU) 18-21, 21-17, 15-11

Stetson 5, Southeastern 0

1. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def. Courtney Krause/Emily Boehlein (SEU) 21-6, 21-13

2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Taylor Gregory/Keniah RiveraSantiag (SEU) 21-10, 21-8

3. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Maggie Seagren/Sarah Castillo (SEU) 21-5, 21-9

4. Alexa Richardson/Yasmin Kuck (STET) def. Hannah Kaszubowski/Kristen Sutherland (SEU) 21-12, 21-13

5. Julie Varga/Samantha Harris (STET) def. Jordyn Stiger/Elise Moralobo (SEU) 21-6, 21-10

Stetson 3, FAU 2

1. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def. Carly Scarborough/Nicole Navarro (FAU) 21-15, 19-21, 15-9

2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Mackenzie Morris/Erica Brok (FAU) 21-19, 21-18

3. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Amanda Silva/Nicole Grant (FAU) 21-18, 21-12

4. Kaila Dorish/Savannah Pesante (FAU) def. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET) 21-9, 21-17

5. Jillenne Cangelosi/Megan Mcgrath (FAU) def. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) 21-17, 10-21, 15-9

Ext. Sam Gott/Mazarine Tsuji (FAU) def. Katinka Krahn/Alice Pratesi (STET) 21-13, 21-13

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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