Hatters Down No. 8 Long Beach State, Fall to No. 2 USC

Ingram and Birker complete perfect week at the 5 seed

Los Angeles, Calif. -- No. 15 Stetson earned its first Top 10 victory of the season with a 3-2 win over No. 8 Long Beach State Thursday afternoon at Merle-Norman Stadium.

The Hatters then gave second-ranked USC (6-1) a tightly-contested battle on its home sand before falling 4-1.

Stetson (5-3) completed its west coast road trip with a 2-2 mark, notching wins over No. 12 Loyola Marymount and No. 8 LBSU.

Sophomores Rebecca Ingram and Quinci Birker had an incredible week at the 5 seed, winning all four matches against ranked opponents. Thursday, the pair got the Hatters going with a 21-18, 21-16 win over Long Beach State's Michelle Mason and Tyler Spriggs.

At the 3 seed, Ana Costa and Rachel Noble rallied for a 2-1 come-from-behind victory. After dropping the first set 21-18, Costa and Noble battled back to win sets 2 and 3 by scores of 21-17 and 15-11.

The Hatters led 2-0 after the first wave, but Long Beach State (5-2) notched its first point at the 2 seed 22-20, 21-16.

At the 4 seed, Julie Varga and Samantha Harris went into extra points in the second set before securing a 21-14, 26-24 win to clinch the match for the Hatters.

The 49ers took the final point at the 1 seed 22-20, 18-21, 21-19.

The victory was Stetson's highest-ranked win since defeating No. 5 Georgia State in 2016.

In the second match, Ingram and Birker notched Stetson's lone point with a 21-19, 21-18 win over USC's Cammie Dorn and Mollie Ebertin. The duo improved to 6-1 in duals on the season with five of the six wins coming over ranked opponents.

Yasmin Kuck and Alexa Richardson were also perfect at the 6 seed, going 3-0 on the week before having their final match with USC go unfinished (tied 1-1).

The Hatters will compete at the South Carolina Gamecock Grand Slam on March 16-17.

Stetson 3, Long Beach State 2

1. Megan Kruidhof/Mari Molina (LBSU) def. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) 22-20, 18-21, 21-19

2. Nicci Reinking/Zoi Konstantopoulou (LBSU) def. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) 22-20, 21-16

3. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) def. Sydney Stevens/Allie Loitz (LBSU) 18-21, 21-17, 15-11

4. Julie Varga/Samantha Harris (STET) def. Sophie Major/Kendra Koelsch (LBSU) 21-14, 26-24

5. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) def. Michelle Mason/Tyler Spriggs (LBSU) 21-18, 21-16

Ext. Alexa Richardson/Yasmin Kuck (STET) def. Claire Kinder/Tegan Curren (LBSU) 11-21, 21-19, 15-11

USC 4, Stetson 1

1. Abril Bustamante/Tina Graudina (USC) def. Sunniva Helland-Hansen/Carly Perales (STET) 21-12, 21-15

2. Terese Cannon/Sammy Slater (USC) def. Sammee Thomas/Darby Dunn (STET) 21-12, 21-18

3. Alexandra Poletto/Haley Hallgren (USC) def. Ana Costa/Rachel Noble (STET) 21-19, 21-19

4. Joy Dennis/Maja Kaiser (USC) def. Julie Varga/Samantha Harris (STET) 21-13, 23-21

5. Quinci Birker/Rebecca Ingram (STET) def. Cammie Dorn/Mollie Ebertin (USC) 21-19, 21-18

Ext. Josannah Vazquez/Hannah Martin (USC) vs. Alexa Richardson/Yasmin Kuck (STET) 21-14, 16-21, 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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