TAVERES, Fla. – The Concordia University Irvine beach volleyball team finished in third place at the AVCA Small College Championships on Sunday for the first time in program history.
The Golden Eagles had a tough game in the morning against Colorado Mesa as slots two through four only played and the Mavericks were able to secure the win. The third flight with Smith and Ryan went to three sets as CUI won the first set.
The Green and Gold secured third place after a tough matchup against Palm Beach Atlantic by a close 3-2 score. Flight one with Phair and Ostojic was the last pair playing that had all the pressure to earn third place. The duo battled it out against the Sailfish as the scores went the distance but CUI was able to win in two sets by just two points.
Duo Ostojic and Phair were recognized at the end of the tournament with All-American honors alongside their fellow opponents Tampa and Colorado Mesa.
CUI 0, Colorado Mesa 3
- DNC
- Isabella Bush/Ashleigh Souza (CUI) 14-21, 17-21
- Tatum Smith/Hailee Ryan (CUI) 21-17, 15-21, 13-15
- Eva Prewitt/Kelissa Lemoine (CUI) 10-21, 10-21
- DNC
CUI 3, Palm Beach Atlantic 2
- Hannah Phair/Sara Ostojic (CUI) 32-30, 22-20
- Isabella Bush/Ashleigh Souza (CUI) 12-21, 15-21
- Tatum Smith/Hailee Ryan (CUI) 22-20, 22-20
- Eva Prewitt/Kelissa Lemoine (CUI) 15-21, 21-14, 15-12
- Carly Moreno/Lily Dyer (CUI) 19-21, 21-23
The Golden Eagles finished the 2023 season with a 20-14 record and winning nine of their last 10 games played. CUI fell just short last year at the tournament with fourth place and this year made the finish to one of the top three teams in Florida.
To see the full schedule for CUI beach volleyball click
HERE.
