The Hatters are coming off a historic 2019 season in which the team won its fifth ASUN Championship, earned its second all-time berth to the NCAA Championship, and then upset No. 1-ranked USC in the opening round in Gulf Shores with a 3-1 victory.

The Hatters return seven veterans from that team who have played on a national stage and would like nothing less than to have another run at the NCAA championship.  The program also welcomes eight newcomers including seven freshmen who are competing in their first season of collegiate beach volleyball. 

One of the challenges for seventh-year head coach Kristina Hernandez is to get the newcomers acclimated to the level of play as quick as possible.  She also wants the team to focus on what's directly in front of them and not get caught looking too far ahead.

"I think collectively they are really specific on what the goal is and what they want to do, so it just a matter of trying to keep them on track with that and not get overwhelmed with the big picture too early," Hernandez said.  "I think we very much understand we just need to focus on game 1, and then game 2, and then just take it from there. For us, the next match on the schedule is what's most important and we just need to approach it that way."

Hernandez also wants the veterans to buy into the fact that 2020 is a brand new season, and just because the team had great success last season doesn't guarantee anything about how this season will play out.

"I think probably the worst thing that can happen is you assume that the same thing that happened last year is going to happen this year," Hernandez said.  "Everybody is starting over, and other teams are just as good and everybody else is getting better, so it's going to be a battle like it always is.  We just kind of have to focus on ourselves and who we're playing and being good every day."

2. The Hatters have plenty of options for pairs and lineups

Stetson has several starters returning from a year ago, including the No. 1 and No. 5 pairs in their entirety.  There will be plenty of new faces in the starting lineup as well, and the coaching staff has spent the past several months looking over all their options.  

"We took the time to break up some veteran pairs to see if there were better options and go through that process to make sure we looked at everything," Hernandez said.  "There are a lot of different scenarios that we like, so for us it's trying to figure out what lineup is the strongest and most consistent. There are some pairs that are staying the same because at the end of the day, other options were good but not as good. Then we've got some mix of either a young pair or putting a young player with a veteran. I think that that's kind of where we are at, we're still trying to figure out which is the strongest between them. I think the hardest part is that it's all been really good, so it's just trying to figure out what is the strongest."

At the top of the lineup, Sunniva Helland-Hansen (Øystese, Norway) and Carly Perales (Round Rock, Texas) enter the season as Stetson's all-time winningest pair.  The two seniors have compiled a school and conference-record 72 dual victories. Twenty-seven of those wins came as the Hatters' No. 1 Pair last season, which led to AVCA All-America honors and a CollegeBeachVB.com National Pair of the Week selection.

"I think with them and I think with any pair that has had a long relationship, it's a matter of trying some different things out and being more consistent and growing their game," Hernandez said.  "They've been together so long, they just feed off each other and do things that take a long time to develop, just the natural pace of the game or trouble plays. 

"It's just making sure that they keep growing as much as they can.  They've been really successful in the past, but just like with the team they have to understand that they're starting over with a new season. I don't want them to walk in there and just assume that things are going to be really good because they have been in the past."

Not too far behind on with 47 career wins, juniors Rebecca Ingram (Maffra, Australia) and Quinci Birker (Kelowna, B.C.) will be beginning their third season together.  Last season, the duo went 27-11 at Pair 5, earning ASUN all-conference team, all-tournament team, and two ASUN Pair of the Week honors.  They tied for the most wins for any Pair 5 in the NCAA, and they tallied the clinching point for Stetson in the upset of No. 1 USC in the opening round of the NCAA Championship.

"I think that one of their strengths is just their energy and the pace of their offense," Hernandez said.  "It's a huge advantage for them. I think they can make a lot of teams feel uncomfortable with their tempos and their movement. They really are fluid on defense and can do some unconventional plays. The more time they spend together, the more consistent it gets."

Ana Costa (Sergipe, Brazil), who won 27 matches at the No. 3 pair with Rachel Noble last year returns for her junior season.  Costa earned first team all-conference honors and won two matches at the NCAA Championship.  She may be paired with former teammate and fellow Brazilian Kyce Martins (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), a sophomore transfer from St. Petersburg College.

Also returning to the lineup are senior Katinka Krahn (Oslo, Norway) and sophomore Yasmin Kuck (Montpellier, France).  Hernandez says both have gotten stronger and more confident in their play.  

"I think they will both have the opportunity to help us a lot more this year and have a bigger impact throughout the season," Hernandez said.

In addition to Martins, the Hatters' list of newcomers includes seven freshmen - Rebecka Dahlgren (Gothenburg, Sweden), Oda Stray Homme (Kristiansand, Norway), Kamryn Johnson (Moyock, N.C.), Paradise Gibson (Venice, Fla.), Lauren Domel (Bulverde, Texas), Shae Henson (Merritt Island, Fla.), and Madison Bobes (Coral Springs, Fla.).  Several may be called on to step up and make an immediate impact in the starting lineup.

3. More single wave matches will be beneficial

When the Hatters play at home, they play in two waves, with the 4s, 5s, and 6s playing first, and the 1s, 2s, and 3s playing second.  However, in the NCAA Championship, all five seeds play at the same time.  The Hatters will be seeing the "one wave" format a little more often on the road this season, including right off the bat in Tallahassee.  

"I think that when you play in two waves, the 1s, 2s, and 3s get used to having to be the clinching point, and I think that at the National Championships, our 5s were in that position a lot.  So it's just getting that experience a little bit more where you know it might come down to them if their game is still going on. It's much different from starting the round when the team has no points on the board.  There's more pressure and it's just a different perspective on how the match is going. I think that will help us should we get to Gulf Shores."

4. Consistency is the Key

The Hatters proved last season how important consistency is, not only from match-to-match but within the lineup as well.  As a team, Stetson won 12 matches against ranked opponents for the first time ever, and four of the five pairs won 27 matches or more.

"I think from seed 1 through 5, we always talk about trying to make sure we have balanced wins where we're not just relying on one seed to win for us all the time," Hernandez said.  "I think that was a big thing last year that helped us. It's a tough schedule, and we have a lot of games. I think just having that balance of who's getting and finishing those matches for you is going to be important, instead of it just kind of relying on one team."

5. You have to play the best to be the best

Year after year, the Hatters embark on an arduous schedule that features most of the top teams in the nation from both the East and West Regions.  This season, the Hatters face eight different Top 10 opponents and 14 Top 20 opponents, including multiple meetings with FSU, FIU, South Carolina, TCU and Long Beach State.  Opening weekend alone features three Top 20 opponents.

"I think the biggest thing is making sure we're giving ourselves the best schedule to hopefully be considered for an NCAA bid," Hernandez said.  "I think every tournament we tried to get into I was hoping that there were some ranked opponents.  That was my goal, especially because in the later part of March and April, we're in ASUN and everybody else is still going to tournaments.  So I wanted to make sure that we have a really good balance of playing very tough competition before we get into ASUN mode.

"I also really want to make sure we have a good amount of West Coast teams because I thought that benefited us last year," Hernandez added.  "If you get a bid, it really helps to have some knowledge or experience of playing against teams that are going to be at the national tournament rather than just going in a little bit blind."

Stetson proved that last year when they turned a regular season loss against USC into a historic first-round victory.

The Hatters will open the season with a tripleheader against No. 16 TCU, No. 2 Florida State, and Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.  Stetson will continue play Sunday vs. No. 7 Cal Poly and Houston Baptist.  Visit the tournament central page for a full schedule and links to live scoring.

Admission to all home beach volleyball events is free.  For more coverage, follow the Stetson beach volleyball team on twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and sign up for the HatCheck text messaging service.

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.