Three-Peat! Hatters Win Third Straight ASUN Championship

DeLand, Fla. -- After cruising through the ASUN regular season and the first two matches of the conference tournament, the Hatters found themselves in an unfamiliar spot Saturday. Florida Gulf Coast led 2-1 after three decisions and were within three points of clinching the match on court 3.

With their backs against the wall, Rachel Noble and Ana Costa rallied for a three-set victory at the 3 seed and Sammee Thomas and Darby Dunn had a dominant third set at the 2 seed as Stetson triumphed 3-2 over FGCU to capture the 2019 ASUN Conference Beach Volleyball Championship at the Cooper Beach Courts.

It is Stetson's third consecutive ASUN title and the fifth conference championship in program history.

"I am over the moon. I am elated," Noble said. "Especially being my last one, it meant a lot more that we battled back."

With the dual tied 2-2 and their match tied 1-1, Dunn and Thomas raced out to a commanding 9-1 lead in the third set. On match point, Thomas got a tip shot at the left pin to fall and the celebration was on.

"Florida Gulf Coast had a really emotional match before us with UNF, so they obviously came in with some good momentum," Stetson head coach Kristina Hernandez said. "We struggled at some points, but we also had some really big moments. I thought the turning point for us was at the 3 seed and that third set. That was just a really crucial match for us that really let us get to Darby and Sammee."

Snowy Burnam and Kayla Whetstone won the first set at the 3 seed 21-18, but Costa and Noble survived a close second set for a 21-19 win. In the third set, the Hatter duo won 15-11, then raced up to court 2 to cheer on their teammates in their final set.

"After the first set we kind of looked at each other and said, 'Our team needs us. We need to figure this out, and take it for them,' Noble said. "Then coming up to see Darby and Sammee, and they were up by so much, we thought, 'We got this.' It was a great feeling."

Stetson's first point of the day came at the 5 seed where Quinci Birker and Rebecca Ingram won 21-16, 22-20. The pair earned all-tournament team honors after winning all six sets over the weekend.

Emma Hansen and Giovanna Borgiotti scored the first point for the Eagles (17-11) at the 4 seed after battling deep into a third set with Stetson's Katinka Krahn and Alexa Richardson. FGCU won 21-23, 21-17, 21-19.

At the 1 seed, Amanda Carroll and Kirstine Garder defeated Carly Perales and Sunniva Helland-Hansen 21-10, 22-20 to take a 2-1 lead.

The Hatters (29-8) would not be denied, however, as the 3 seed and 2 seed scored the final two points in the match. Dunn and Thomas completed a 3-0 weekend and were selected as the Pair of the Tournament.

"Florida Gulf Coast came and they challenged us," Hernandez said. "It feels good to earn it when it is a really tough match like that. It was a great day, and fortunately we came out on top."

The eighth-ranked Hatters will now await their postseason fate. Eight teams will be selected at-large to compete for the NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala., May 3-5. The selection show will air April 28 at 7 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.

Stetson 3, FGCU 2
1. Amanda Carroll/Kirstine Garder (FGCU) def. Carly Perales/Sunniva Helland-Hansen (STET) 21-10, 22-20
2. Darby Dunn/Sammee Thomas (STET) def. Katherine Puisis/Karissa Rhoades (FGCU) 21-15, 19-21, 15-5
3. Rachel Noble/Ana Costa (STET) def. Snowy Burnam/Kayla Whetstone (FGCU) 18-21, 21-19, 15-11
4. Emma Hansen/Giovanna Borgiotti (FGCU) def. Katinka Krahn/Alexa Richardson (STET) 21-23, 21-17, 21-19
5. Rebecca Ingram/Quinci Birker (STET) def. Cortney VanLiew/Alayna Ryan (FGCU) 21-16, 22-20

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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