HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – LSU pairs Kristen Nuss and Claire Coppola, as well as Katie Lindelow and Olivia Powers opened up pool play in the first round of the USAV Collegiate Beach Pairs Championships at the Hermosa Beach Pier, competing to earn a spot on the USA Volleyball collegiate beach national team.
The championships feature 24 women’s pairs and eight men’s pairs. The top pairs from the eight schools that qualified for the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championships earned an automatic bid with the selection committee choosing the rest of the women’s teams based on their performance during the 2017 season, as well as their USAV beach rankings.
“Both teams played really well today. This is an amazing tournament with incredible teams, and it’s great to see our pairs playing in it,” said head coach Russell Brock.
“I’m looking forward to the matches tomorrow morning and the opportunity for our team to advance. We have to play well, but these pairs have played with that expectation all year and know how to be successful.”
In Pool F, Nuss and Coppola dropped their first match of the day against Arizona’s McKenna and Madison Witt in straight sets by a final score of 15-21, 14-21.
The duo rebounded in their second match against Florida State’s Vanessa Freire and Victoria Paranagua in a 2-0 sweep at 21-18, 22-20.
In Pool D, Powers and Lindelow were defeated in straights by Long Beach State’s Rachel Nieto and Kobi Pekich at 16-21, 14-21.
Powers and Lindelow fell in their second match in a three-setter to USC’s Terese Cannon and Nicolette Martin by a score of 22-24, 23-21, 9-15.
Both pairs will return to action tomorrow morning to take on the remaining teams in their pool for a chance to advance to the Round of 16.
Lindelow and Powers will face Florida State’s Brooke Kuhlman and Leigh Andrew at 10:50 a.m. CT. Coppola and Nuss will follow in Pool F, squaring off against South Carolina’s Katie Zimmerman and Macie Tendrich at 11:40 a.m. CT.
USAV Collegiate Beach Pairs Championships Day 1 Results
Pool D Standings
(LBSU) Nieto/Pekich 2-0
(FSU) Andrew/Kuhlman 1-1
(USC) Cannon/Martin 1-1
(LSU) Powers/Lindelow 0-2
Pool F Standings
(ARIZ) Witt/Witt 2-0
(FSU) Paranagua/Freire 1-1
(LSU) Coppola/Nuss 1-1
(SC) Zimmerman/Tendrich 0-2