Beach Volleyball March 22, 2019 Athletic Communications

Hatters Win Twice at Seminole Beach Blast

Thomas and Dunn Get the Clincher vs. Arizona

Tallahassee, Fla. -- No strangers to dramatic finishes this season, the Hatters came through again on Friday, rallying for a 3-2 win over No. 15 Arizona on the first day of the Seminole Beach Blast.

No. 10 Stetson also defeated Austin Peay 5-0 in the first match of the day. The Hatters (14-3) have now won nine in a row and are a perfect 3-0 in matches decided by a 3-2 margin.

"I think Arizona played really well," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "They definitely came to play us, and I think we had some really good moments, and some moments where we let them creep back in. We weren't completely consistent, but I think with all of our third sets, we were the stronger team. Especially at the 1, 2 and 5 seeds, we were in control during the third sets, and I am glad we were able to play better at the end."

Against Arizona (10-4), Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas delivered the final verdict on Court 2. With the match tied 2-2 and their dual tied 1-1, Dunn and Thomas prevailed 15-9 in the third set to seal the victory. It was Stetson's eighth Top 20 win of the season.

The Hatters needed to rally from behind, however, as Arizona led 1-0 and 2-1. The Wildcats won 2-0 on court 4 to open the scoring before Rebecca Ingram and Quinci Birker won 21-19, 17-21, 15-9 on court 5 to tie the dual 1-1.

In the second wave, Arizona won a marathon match on court 3, 21-17, 16-21, 19-17, to retake a 2-1 lead in the dual. On court 1, Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales dropped the first set 23-21 before bouncing back with 21-14, 15-8 wins in sets 2 and 3 to tie the match 2-2.

That comeback proved vital as Thomas and Dunn split their first two sets (21-19, 20-22) before pulling away in the third.

All three Stetson wins against Arizona came in three sets. The Hatters avenged a 3-2 loss to the Wildcats last season in Tuscon.

"Everybody is probably going to bring their best game against us, so we need to make sure we are playing consistently on our side of the net regardless of who we are playing," Hernandez said.

Against Austin Peay (4-6), Stetson won all 10 sets, including a 2-0 win by Ana Costa and Rachel Noble on court 3 that was Noble's 80th career win.

Julie Varga and Samantha Harris were dominant on court 4, winning 21-8, 21-3.

Alexa Richardson and Yasmin Kuck went 1-0-1 on court 6.

The Hatters will face No. 3 Florida State at 11 a.m. Saturday in the final day of the Seminole Beach Blast.

Notes:

Stetson has won eight matches against ranked opponents for the first time in school history
Stetson has won 50 consecutive matches against unranked opponents
Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales have won nine in a row at the 1 seed

Stetson 5, Austin Peay 0
1. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def. Ciera Koons/Ginny Gerig (APSU) 21-16, 23-21
2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Brooke Moore/Jenna Panning (APSU) 21-12, 21-14
3. Rachel Noble/Ana Costa (STET) def. Haley Turner/Cori Theiss (APSU) 21-11, 21-10
4. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET) def. Chloe Stitt/Lucy Randall (APSU) 21-8, 21-3
5. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) def. MiMi Arrington/Karli Graham (APSU) 21-14, 21-10
Ext. Alexa Richardson/Yasmin Kuck (STET) def. Claire Darland/Nina Korfhage (APSU) 21-7, 21-11

Stetson 3, Arizona 2
1. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) def. Olivia Hallaran/Mia Mason (UA) 21-23, 21-14, 15-8
2. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) def. Jonny Baham/Brooke Burling (UA) 21-19, 20-22, 15-9
3. Natalie Anselmo/Madison Rigdon (UA) def. Rachel Noble/Ana Costa (STET) 21-17, 16-21, 19-17
4. Sarah Blacker/Jasmine Safar (UA) def. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET) 21-14, 21-18
5. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) def. Ainise Havili/Dana Parker (UA) 21-19, 17-21, 15-9
Ext. Candice Denny/Caroline Cordes (UA) vs. Alexa Richardson/Yasmin Kuck (STET) 21-14, 14-21, unfinished

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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