Hatters Go 2-1 in Season Opening Tripleheader

Stetson Downs No. 16 TCU 3-2

Tallahassee, Fla. -- In their very first match of the 2020 beach volleyball season, the Hatters showed they haven't lost their flair for the dramatic.

Rebecca Ingram and Quinci Birker delivered a clutch 15-13 third-set victory to lift No. 9 Stetson to a 3-2 win over No. 16 TCU Saturday morning at the Seminole Beach Bash.

The Hatters went on to post a 2-1 mark in their season opening tripleheader. Stetson fell 4-1 No. 2 Florida State before sweeping Louisiana-Monroe 5-0.

Ana Costa and Kyce Martins went a perfect 3-0 on the day. The Brazilians played at Pair 2 in the first two duals and at Pair 1 against ULM. It was Martins first three victories as a Hatter.

Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales also had a big season-opening win over TCU at Pair 1. The Hatter seniors won 21-19, 21-18 to tie the match 2-2.

The dual came down to Pair 4, where Ingram and Birker staved off TCU's Avery Arellano and Hailey Brockett in a hard-fought 3-setter. It was a rematch from last year's meeting that Arellano and Brockett won in three sets.

Three Hatter freshmen picked up their first career victories. Shae Henson, paired with Yasmin Kuck at Pair 3, and Madison Bobes and Kamryn Johnson at Pair 5 were each victorious against ULM.

In addition, Helland-Hansen won her 80th career match, becoming the fourth Hatter to reach that milestone, and head coach Kristina Hernandez recorded her 150th career coaching victory.

The Hatters will continue play at the Seminole Beach Bash on Sunday. Stetson will face No. 7 Cal Poly at 8 a.m. and Houston Baptist at 1 p.m.

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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