Beach Volleyball Bows Out of National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships

Friday, May 3

Gulf Shores, Ala.

9 a.m.

University of North Florida

#17 Chattanooga

Presley Murray and Madison Espy celebrating at Gulf Shores

Photo by: Logan Romine

Beach Volleyball Bows Out of National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships

5/3/2024 2:30:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

Ospreys Sweep #17 Chattanooga, Fall to #1 USC

GULF SHORES, Ala. - North Florida beach volleyball (25-12) concluded a historic season at the 2024 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships, advancing to the first round with a 3-0 victory over No. 17 Chattanooga (19-10) before falling to defending champions No. 1 USC (34-5), 3-0 on Friday afternoon in Gulf Shores, Ala.

The Ospreys tallied its first-ever tournament win over Chattanooga in the opening round, sweeping the Mocs 3-0, making it eight wins in a row. UNF then looked to upset one-seeded USC in the first round, but ultimately fell short, putting an end to one of the most successful seasons in program history.

No. 16 UNF 3, No. 17 Chattanooga 0
Friday, May 3 | Gulf Shores, Ala. | Gulf Beach Place

With all five courts in action at the same time, Michaela Rezentes and Taylor Pierce got the Ospreys out in front early, taking their match in two sets. Presley Murray and Madison Espy followed suit, tallying their 20th victory of the season. Cameron Humphries and Hayden Wooldridge would secure the game-winning match point, allowing just ten points in the second set to send UNF to the round of 16.

Results

Michaela Rezentes/Taylor Pierce (UNF) def. Neva Clark/Corina Vale (UTC) 21-14, 21-16
Presley Murray/Madison Espy (UNF) def. Gylian Finch/McKenna Faychak (UTC) 21-13, 21-14
Iris Fletcher/Katie Camp (UNF) vs. Joy Courtwright/Maddie Lecik (UTC) 21-16, 19-20, unfinished
Cameron Humphries/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF) def. Kaye Gresham/Paige Gallentine (UTC) 21-13, 21-10
Mariana Fel. Sanchez/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF) vs. Morgan Romano/Julia Lawrence (UTC) 17-21, 21-17, unfinished

Match Notes
No. 16 North Florida 25-11; National ranking #16
No. 17 Chattanooga 19-10
Order of Finish: 1,2,4
Play to clinch

No. 16 UNF 0, No. 1 USC 3
Friday, May 3 | Gulf Shores, Ala. | Gulf Beach Place

In just the third matchup all-time between UNF and USC, the Ospreys looked to pull of its biggest upset in program history. The Trojans started strong, winning flight three in two sets for the first match point. USC quickly made it 2-0 after securing match point on court four. The defending champions put an end to the Ospreys season after clinching the match-winning dual point in flight two. Despite strong performances, UNF bowed out of the tournament following a successful and historic season.

Results

Michaela Rezentes/Taylor Pierce (UNF) vs. Laynie Maple/Megan Kraft (USC) 17-21, 18-18, unfinished
Madison White/Maddi Kriz (USC) def. Presley Murray/Madison Espy (UNF) 21-17, 21-18
Audrey Nourse/Nicole Nourse (USC) def. Iris Fletcher/Katie Camp (UNF) 21-14, 21-16
Ashley Pater/Grace Seits (USC) def. Cameron Humphries/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF) 21-14, 21-8
Mariana Fel. Sanchez/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF) vs. Mabyn Thomas/Madison Goellner (USC) 15-21, 18-17, unfinished

Match Notes
No. 16 North Florida 25-11; National ranking #16
No. 1 USC 34-5; National ranking #11
Order of Finish: 3,4,2
Play to clinch

Notes

The Ospreys tallied its first-ever win in the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championships with its win over No. 17 Chattanooga in the opening round
Murray and Espy tallied their 20th victory of the campaign against Chattanooga, improving to 20-14
UNF and USC faced off for just the third time in program history
Humphries and Wooldridge improved to 22-8 on the season
Fletcher and Camp secured the best doubles record in a single season, finishing 17-3 on the year with a .85 win percentage
UNF secured its 15th sweep of the season over Chattanooga