HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – LSU freshman duo Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss advanced to the round of 16 at the USAV Collegiate Beach Pairs Championships on Friday before falling to Georgia State’s Chelsea Ross and Delaney Rohan at the Hermosa Beach Pier.
Katie Lindelow and Olivia Powers also closed out their stellar season after falling to Florida State’s Leigh Andrew and Brooke Kuhlman in pool play. Overall, Coppola and Nuss finished the championships with a 2-2 record, while Powers and Lindelow dropped to 0-3.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these four players. They played incredibly well at this event. We definitely could have advanced a little farther, but that doesn’t diminish their incredible accomplishment,” said head coach Russell Brock. “This was an elite event and both of our pairs deserved to be here.”
In the first match of the day, Lindelow and Powers were eliminated after falling in a three-setter by a score of 24-22, 19-21, 11-15 to Florida State’s Andrew and Kuhlman in pool D.
Coppola and Nuss advanced to the round of 16 to come out of pool F, picking up a win against South Carolina’s Macie Tendrich and Katie Zimmerman in straights at 21-13, 21-18.
In the round of 16, Coppola and Nuss fell in a tightly-contested three sets to Georgia State’s Ross and Rohan by a score of 23-21, 10-21, 10-15 to officially close out the season for the Tigers.
“The two pairs were a great representation of our team. We had Katie as one of our veteran players who has invested in the growth of the program from the beginning. We also had the youth and next generation of our program represented by Claire, Kristen, and Olivia,” added Brock.
“All season long, we’ve been fighting for greatness together. I could not be more impressed with how far this group and the other 12 members of our team brought our program this year. I can’t wait to see what next year has in store for us.”
USAV Collegiate Beach Pairs Championships
Day 2 Results
May 12, 2017
Hermosa Beach Pier
Pool D
(FSU) Leigh Andrew and Brooke Kuhlman def. (LSU) Katie Lindelow and Olivia Powers (22-24, 21-19, 15-11)
Pool F
(LSU) Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss def. (SC) Macie Tendrich and Katie Zimmerman (21-13, 21-18)
Round of 16
(GSU) Delaney Rohan and Chelsea Ross def. (LSU) Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss (21-23, 21-10, 15-10)