Pair of Wins Highlight Day at #SandVB Invitational in St. Augustine

Saturday, March 8

St. Augustine, Fla.

10:30 am

University of North Florida

FAU

Pair of Wins Highlight Day at #SandVB Invitational in St. Augustine

3/8/2014 7:39:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

By: North Florida Athletics

Day One Results

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The North Florida sand volleyball team claimed victories over FAU and South Carolina on the opening day of play at the UNF Sand Invitational being held at St. Augustine Beach Pier Pavilion.

The Ospreys (2-0) got their third season of play started well, earning a tough 3-2 win over the Owls (0-2) in their opening match followed by a 4-1 decision over the Gamecocks (1-1). It was an historic match for South Carolina, who was making its collegiate debut as a sand volleyball program.

"It was exciting to finally get the season started," said UNF head coach Steve Loeswick. "I thought the team did a good job with ball control today and that allowed us to have a good start. It is always great when we have a chance to play in front of home fans and the atmosphere around the courts today was tremendous. The crowds were good today and with even better weather expected tomorrow we are looking forward to even more people around the courts tomorrow. This is an awesome event for the fans."

In the opening match against FAU, North Florida got on the board first as No. 5 pair Julie Trembley/Emily Davanzo earned a straight set 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) victory over Krista Tekavec/Lexi Rhein. FAU picked up a 2-0 (25-23, 21-19) victory at No. 4 to even the score.

The Ospreys would claim 2-0 sweeps at both No. 1 and No. 2 to earn the victory, while the Owls closed the scoring with a three-set victory at No. 3. UNF's top pairing of Dagnija Medina/Kim Hildreth topped FAU's Natalie Fraley/Darija Sataric (21-13, 21-7) while Osprey No. 2 pair Anna Budinska/Cari Whitmire finished off the Owls' Lauren D'Amato/Beth Schoaff (21-12, 21-9).

UNF No. 3 duo Emily Strack/Britt Claessens dropped their first set 21-15 to Megan Knapp/Megan Mandy before rallying for the 21-19 win in set two. In the deciding third set, the Owl pair outlasted the Ospreys for a 15-10 victory.

Against South Carolina, UNF opened play with wins at No. 1, 3, 4 and 5. The Gamecocks lone victory came at the No. 2 pairing where Sarah Blomgren/Mikaela Christaansen edged Budinskia/Whitmire (21-19, 21-18). Medina/Dagnija posted their second sweep of the day beating Paige Wheeler/Megan Kent (21-18, 21-11) while Strack/Claessens earned their first win of the season with a three-set thriller (21-23, 21-16, 16-14) over Jordan Looney/Jade Vitt.

Tanner Garbutt/Cameron McGuire, the No. 4 pair for UNF, also claimed their first win of the season by outlasting KoKo Atoa-Williams/Litsa Darby in three sets (21-15, 18-21, 15-11). Trembley/Davanzo posted a second sweep on the day, topping Erin Neuenfeldt/Chynna Ratner (21-17, 21-16).

In addition to their matches in the UNF Sand Invitational, the Ospreys also met Flagler College in an exhibition match that UNF prevailed by a 4-1 score.

Tournament action concludes in the UNF Sand Invitational with eight matches on Sunday beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Ospreys are scheduled to meet UL-Monroe at 9:30 a.m. and then face No. 4-ranked Florida State at 2:30 p.m.

**Exhibition Results
Allison Shirley/Ebony Gunn (UNF) def. Karlee Cavanaugh/Moly Smestad (GSU) -- 2-0 (21-16, 21-19)
Allison Shirley/Ebony Gunn (UNF) def. Caitlyn Kerach/Jenae Reddick (Flagler) -- 2-0 (21-3, 21-10)
Kayla Fessler/Morgan Van Alstine (UNF) def. Megan Hooks/Genel Sherrgeon (Flagler) -- 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 15-11)
Amelia Morgan/Shay Yosepha (Flagler) def. Kimberly Ferguson/Erin Edwards (UNF) -- 2-1 (21-8, 15-21, 15-11)
Allison Shirley/Carina Hoff (UNF) def. Ashlee Chellah/Delanie Hunson (Flagler) -- 2-0 (21-15, 21-12)
Ebony Gunn/Chelsie Ferguson (UNF) def. Mackenzie Mosley/Amber Peame (Flagler) -- 2-0 (21-10, 21-8)