Baton Rouge- LSU Beach Volleyball had a successful start to the Fall season at the Coconut Beach Fall Tournament, going 27-5 against outside opponents and securing a second bid to the AVCA Pairs’ Tournament later in the Fall.
The Sandy Tigs headed to New Orleans this weekend for the Coconut Beach Fall Tournament. The tournament also served as an opportunity for the team to receive another bid to the AVCA Pairs’ National Championship in Huntsville, Alabama, November 7-9. Junior standout, Skylar Martin, and freshman, Kenzey McGatlin, finished first in the “Bid Division” of the tournament, earning LSU’s second and final bid to the championship.
Head Coach Russell Brock said, “We also wanted to earn an additional bid to the pairs championship that’s coming up later this Fall, so having Skylar and Kenzey win the final of the “Bid Division” to earn that honor is a great accomplishment, particularly because it was Kenzey‘s first weekend competing as a college, beach volleyball player.”
Alongside Martin and McGatlin, many other LSU pairs found success in their respective divisions. Tatum Finlason and Julia Sprecher finished third in the “Bid Division”. Gracey Campbell and Bella Lagemann finished first in their division while Aubrey O’Gorman and Kate Baker finished second in the same division as Campbell and Lagemann.
“This weekend really couldn’t have been more productive. We came in with a clear, primary objective to make improvements in our individual games. The winning and losing wasn’t a high priority this weekend. The conditions were way more challenging than we had hoped, and it was the first time we had played matches this fall. As the weekend concludes, I couldn’t be more proud or excited of where this group is at this point. We not only made great strides during competition, but won a vast majority of those matches,” stated Brock.
The freshmen also had a strong weekend in their divisions with Allyn Brewer and Ryan Lambert finishing first in their division and Rachel Seneff and Juliana Johnson earning second place in the final division. The Tigers finished the weekend 29-7 overall and 27-5 against outside programs.
“It was a great opportunity for our freshmen to get their feet wet in collegiate athletics. They couldn’t have done a more impressive job considering the conditions and competition they faced. Not only did all six who played get their first collegiate wins, but they all made the finals of their brackets, with Kenzie, Bella, Ryan and Allyn winning those finals while going undefeated in their respective divisions,” said Brock.