HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Eastern Kentucky University’s beach volleyball team’s season ended on Friday afternoon at the ASUN Conference Championship, falling to the No. 4-seed North Alabama, 3-1.
 
The Colonels struck first in the match as Elpida Pitsigkoni and Bella Williams took the 5’s match in two sets, 21-10, 21-17.
 
UNA punched back quickly, taking the top two flights in straight sets with a 21-17, 21-16 win at the 1’s and 21-18, 21-15 win at the 2’s.
 
At the 4’s, EK Lonergan and Reagan Sandlin battled back after dropping their first set to win the second, 21-19, keeping EKU alive in the dual.
 
At the 3’s, Madalyn Richardson and Riley Cutler battled throughout the match narrowly, falling 21-19, 22-20, giving UNA the dual.
 
The loss drops the Colonels to 14-14 on the season, but marks the third straight winning season for the program, the first time it has been accomplished in program history.
 
History was also made this season as the Colonels earned their first ASUN Tournament win yesterday with a 3-0 win over Central Arkansas, along with the program’s first wins over Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, and Louisiana–Monroe this season.
 
Today also marks the end of senior Paityn Walker’s career as she finishes with a program record of 60 individual wins while also being the first player in program history to earn All-ASUN recognition, being named to the second team earlier this week.
 
Walker, along with the seven other Colonel seniors, will leave Richmond as the winningest senior class in program history, being a part of 50 total wins as a group.
 

Championship Central | Bracket
 
FOLEY, Ala. – Second-seeded and two-time reigning champion Georgia State punched its ticket to the title match, while top-seeded Coastal Carolina and third-seeded UNCW remain in contention following day two at the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.

Coastal Carolina and UNCW will face off at 10 a.m. CT Saturday for the right to challenge Georgia State in the championship match at 1 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

 

The Panthers defeated the Chanticleers in the winner’s bracket semifinal behind a quartet of straight-set victories to stay unbeaten and reach the championship match for the third straight season.

 

In the elimination bracket, sixth-seeded Southern Miss got the day started with a 3-2 win over seventh-seeded College of Charleston before upsetting fourth-seeded Mercer by the same score in their second match of the afternoon. The Golden Eagles lost the first set on all five courts and lost a pair of matches in straight sets against the Bears, but stormed back with a trio of three-set victories to complete the comeback.

 

However, Southern Miss’ run came to an end in the final match of the day, 4-1, to UNCW, as the Seahawks went 2-0 to remain in contention after outlasting fifth-seeded ULM, 3-2, in their first contest of the day.

For complete coverage of the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship, please visit the Championship Central page. 

2025 Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship – Day 2 Results

Match 6: (6) Southern Miss def. (7) College of Charleston, 3-2

1. Madison Cassidy/Zuzanna Michalska (USM) def. Ella Duffner/Blair Jones (CofC), 21-12, 21-17

2. Kora Hansen/Alexa Psotka (CofC) def. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM), 21-14, 18-21, 16-14

3. Liz Curry/Cassie Thayse (CofC) def. Carmen Sanchez/Jaden White (USM), 23-21, 21-18

4. Jessie Fairly/Dylan Russell (USM) def. Allie Holland/Tynley Smeltzer (CofC), 21-16, 21-16

5. Giovanna Bahia/Kitija Martini (USM) def. Livi Newberg/Grace Toscano (CofC), 21-15, 21-10

 

Order of Finish: 5, 1, 4*, 3, 2

 

Match 7: (3) UNCW def. (5) ULM, 3-2

1. Kaitlyn Beck/Madeline Marquez (ULM) def. Gabby LaPata/Sarah Thompson (UNCW), 21-17, 10-21, 15-13

2. Gracie Sistrunk/Lyvia Trimp (UNCW) def. Abby Ryno/Claire Williamson (ULM), 25-23, 21-11

3. Traci Schrock/Annika Thompson (UNCW) def. Katelyn Fredette Huffman/Avery Hunter (ULM), 21-11, 21-8

4. Maggie Cox/Katie Felts (ULM) def. Tamsie Black/Sophie Puhala (UNCW), 19-21, 21-19, 15-12

5. Maddy Folks/Hannah Forbes (UNCW) def. Brooke Bankston/Maddie Peterson (ULM), 21-17, 21-15

 

Order of Finish: 3, 2, 5*, 1, 4

 

Match 8: (6) Southern Miss def. (4) Mercer, 3-2

1. Madison Cassidy/Zuzanna Michalska (USM) def. Lexi Polychrones/Hollis Engel (MER), 14-21, 21-18, 15-11

2. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM) def. Liv Diaz/Jordan Paddock (MER), 17-21, 21-11, 15-12

3. Sydney Benson/Katie Hardie (MER) def. Carmen Sanchez/Jaden White (USM), 21-17, 21-17

4. Kathryn Corbett/Nicole O’Mara (MER) def. Jessie Fairly/Dylan Russell (USM), 21-13, 25-23

5. Giovanna Bahia/Kitija Martini (USM) def. Reese Hood/Grace Rathburn (MER), 19-21, 21-14, 15-12

 

Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2, 5, 1*

 

Match 9: (2) Georgia State def. (1) Coastal Carolina, 4-1

1. Ayla Johnson/Aree Keller (GSU) def. Emma Kunaus/Frida Meincke Lyø (CCU), 24-22, 21-18

2. Anna Rita/Madeline Sigmon (CCU) def. Savannah Ebarb/Destiny White (GSU), 12-21, 21-18, 16-14

3. Ellie Mozeleski/Aliisa Vuorinen (GSU) def. Kristyna Koblizkova/Maya McNabney (CCU), 21-10, 21-19

4. Michaela Jefferson/Danica Singleton (GSU) def. Raychel Ehlers/Ava Novello (CCU), 22-20, 21-10

5. Kealy Dirner/Kaebre Sullivan (GSU) def. Karis Gordon/Celia Ryan (CCU), 21-18, 21-16

 

Order of Finish: 3, 4, 5*, 1, 2

 

Match 10: (3) UNCW def. (6) Southern Miss, 4-1

1. Gabby LaPata/Sarah Thompson (UNCW) def. Madison Cassidy/Zuzanna Michalska (USM), 21-14, 21-16

2. Gracie Sistrunk/Lyvia Trimp (UNCW) def. Laurel Dennis/Sadie McAda (USM), 21-10, 21-18

3. Traci Schrock/Annika Thompson (UNCW) def. Carmen Sanchez/Jaden White (USM), 19-21, 21-19, 15-12

4. Jessie Fairly/Dylan Russell (USM) def. Tamsie Black/Sophie Puhala (UNCW), 26-24, 21-14

5. Maddy Folks/Hannah Forbes (UNCW) def. Giovanna Bahia/Kitija Martini (USM), 21-16, 21-11

 

Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1*, 4, 3

 

Friday, April 25

Match 6 – No. 6 Southern Miss def. No. 7 College of Charleston, 3-2

Match 7 – No. 3 UNCW def. No. 5 ULM, 3-2

Match 8 – No. 6 Southern Miss def. No. 4 Mercer, 3-2

Match 9 – No. 2 Georgia State def. No. 1 Coastal Carolina, 4-1

Match 10 – No. 3 UNCW def. No. 6 Southern Miss, 4-1

 

Saturday, April 26

Match 11 – No. 1 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 3 UNCW – 10 a.m. CT

Match 12 (Championship) – No. 2 Georgia State vs. Match 11 Winner – 1 p.m. CT

MARYVILLE – The Scots wrapped up day two of the CCS Track and Field Championship Saturday, finishing tied in fifth place with 92 total team points.

Maryville placed six all-conference finishers, with Abbey Cox earning Second Team all-conference in discus (34.67m) and hammer throw (39.23m) and Third Team in shot put (10.33m), while Rachel Dunbar earned Second Team in Shot Put (10.63m) and Hailee Hardman was Third Team in high jump (1.41m).  Alana Rodriguez was Third Team in long jump (4.95m).

Top-10 finishers for the Scots included Harmonee King placing 6th in the 100m (13.40), Mariah Thornton placing 4th in the hurdles (17.92) and 6th in the 400m (1:23.90). RaeEllen Coffey and Kaitlyn Smith were 6th and 7th in the 3000m steeple, finishing with times of 18:00.47 and 18:14.54 each.. 

Abbey Cox and Rachel Dunbar placed 2nd and 7th in the discus, with throws of 34.67m and 29.64m. Cox, along with Bonnie Lauderback and Dunbar placed 2nd, 4th, and 7th in the hammer, with throws of 39.23m, 36.51m, and 33.73m. Hailee Hardman was third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.41m.

Lauderback and Adaline Clouse were 6th and 7th in the javelin throw, with distances of 23.56m and 23.21m each. Long jump saw Alana Rodriguez and Hailee Hardman finish 3rd and fifth with distances of 4.95m and 4.73m. 

Shot put saw four top-ten finishers for Maryville. Rachel Dunbar 2nd (1063m), Abbey Cox 3rd (10.33m), Adaline Clouse 7th (8.90m), and Tyrika Small 9th (8.57m).

Alana Rodriguez and Hailee Hardman were 4th and 7th in the triple jump with distances of 9.67m and 9.11m. 

In the relays, the Scots placed fifth in the 4x100m relay with a time of 54.50 (King, Thornton, Lauderback, Rodriguez), and 6th in the 4x400m relay with a time of 5:07.81 (Rodriguez, Thornton, Smith, Coffey).

The top scorer for the Scots over the two days was Abbey Cox with 22 total points. 

All point earners for the Scots were:

Cox – 22

Dunbar -12

Hardman – 12

Rodriguez – 11

Lauderback – 8

Thornton – 8

Hardman – 4 

King – 3

Coffey – 3

Smith 2

PITMAN, N.J. (4/25/25) – Tyler Quinn has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row as Men’s Volleyball earned three All-Conference selections.  Quinn and Chris Mitchell were first team selections, while Danny Pugliano was an honorable mention selection.

Quinn earns the conference’s top defensive honor and a first team selection after totaling 251 digs over 25 matches. The sophomore libero averaged 2.89 digs per set and was a two-time NJAC Defensive Player of the Week selection. Quinn becomes the first player in program history to earn back-to-back honors from the NJAC.

Mitchell earns his first all-conference selection after being selected to the first team. The outside hitter totaled 352.5 points, 315 kills, 122 digs, 39 blocks and 14 aces over 24 matches. The Howell, N.J. averaged 4.52 points per set, 4.04 kills per set and 1.56 digs per set. Mitchell was a three-time NJAC Player of the Week honoree.

Pugliano earns his first all-conference selection after being selected to the honorable mention. The middle blocker totaled 245.0 points, 200 kills and 52 blocks over 24 matches. The Jefferson, N.J. averaged 2.92 points per set, 2.38 kills per set and 0.62 blocks per set.

 

YOUNGSVILLE, LA – The third-seeded FIU beach volleyball team advanced to the semifinals of the Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championships after going 2-1 on day two of the double-elimination tournament. The Panthers defeated fifth-seeded University of Texas – El Paso (3-0) and fourth-seeded University of Alabama – Birmingham (3-2).

FIU opened the day against Tulane, ultimately falling in a close 3-2 contest. The Green Wave struck first on court two, but seniors Zoe Cahill and Arianna Franklin responded with a straight-sets win on court four, 21-18, 21-15. Tulane regained the lead with a win on court five and secured the match victory with a final win on court one.

(2) Tulane 3, (3) FIU 1

P1: Emily Heintzelman/Kenzie Cutler (TUL) def. Ella Gray/Julia Panko (FIU) 13-21, 21-16, 15-13

P2: Skylar Ensign/Molly Trodd (TUL) def. Sophia Vogel/Nicole Robinson (FIU) 21-13, 21-12

P3: Sam Green/Sara Hall (TUL) 21-19, Katarina Drozd/Brianna Luoma (FIU) 22-20, unf

P4: Zoe Cahill/Arianna Franklin (FIU) def. Sam O’Connor/Gigi Gallegos (TUL) 21-18, 21-15  

P5: Amelia Mullen/Avery Burks (TUL) def. Aleksandra Chudzik/Kendra Brown (FIU) 17-21, 21-16, 17-15

Later in the day, the Panthers rebounded in dominant fashion against fifth-seeded UTEP to stave off elimination. Senior Ola Chudzik and junior Kendra Brown took court five convincingly, 21-11, 21-7. Sophomore Ella Gray and junior Julia Panko followed with a straight-sets victory on court one, cruising to a 21-12 first set and edging out a 22-20 second set. Sophomore Katarina Drozd and freshman Brianna Luoma sealed the dual on court three with a 21-15, 21-16 win, advancing FIU to the quarterfinals against UAB.

(3) FIU 3, (5) UTEP 0

P1: Ella Gray/Julia Panko (FIU) def. Madison Hill/Ema Uskokovic (UTEP) 21-12, 22-20

P2: Paulina Acuna/Marian Ovalle (UTEP) 21-16, Sophia Vogel/Nicole Robinson (FIU) unf

P3: Katarina Drozd/Brianna Luoma (FIU) def. Krista Paegle/Milana Popovic (UTEP) 21-15, 21-16

P4:  Zoe Cahill/Arianna Franklin (FIU) 21-11, Emma Schubert/Lauren Perry (UTEP) unf 

P5: Aleksandra Chudzik/Kendra Brown (FIU) def. Adriana Oporto/Mackenzi Davis (UTEP) 21-11, 21-7  

Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3

In their third and final match of the day, the Panthers edged out UAB in a thrilling 3-2 win to earn a spot in Saturday morning’s semifinal against second-seeded Tulane. The Blazers struck first on court one, but Drozd and Luoma responded on court three, winning in straight sets, 21-18, 21-15. FIU took the lead on court five, with Chudzik and Brown rallying after dropping the first set to win the next two, 18-21, 21-11, 15-12. UAB evened the score with a win on court two, setting up a decisive battle on court four. Cahill and Franklin came through for the Panthers, taking set one 25-23, dropping set two, and clinching the victory in set three, 15-7.

(3) FIU 3, (4) UAB 2

P1: Olivia Stant/Jasmine Haas (UAB) def. Ella Gray/Julia Panko (FIU) 21-18, 21-14 

P2: Azmabeth Infante/Isabel Day (UAB) def. Sophia Vogel/Nicole Robinson (FIU) 15-21, 21-13, 16-14

P3: Katarina Drozd/Brianna Luoma (FIU) def, Klea Sirois/Lauren Cairo (UAB) 21-18, 21-15 

P4: Zoe Cahill/Arianna Franklin (FIU) def. Claudia Stockard/Olivia Chychrun (UAB) 25-23, 16-21, 15-7

P5: Aleksandra Chudzik/Kendra Brown (FIU) def. Addison Atkins/Sarah Smith (UAB) 18-21, 21-11, 15-12

Order of Finish: 1, 3, 5, 2, 4

UP NEXT

The Panthers will play Tulane in the CUSA Beach Volleyball Championships semifinals on Saturday, April 26 at 10 a.m. ET. The winner will advance to the championship round where they will face one-seed Florida Atlatnic with a chance to take the Conference USA crown and an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

SOCIAL MEDIA 

Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUbeach on Instagram, or @FIUBeachVB on Twitter, and @FIUBeach on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.

IRVINE, Calif. — The fourth seeded UC San Diego women’s water polo team defeated fifth-seeded UC Davis, 15-10, in a Big West Championship quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Anteater Aquatics Complex in Orange County.

The Tritons advance to Saturday’s semifinal round and will face top-seeded Hawai’i at noon. The Rainbow Wahine punched their ticket into the semis with a 16-6 thumping of Cal State Fullerton, the eighth seed, in Friday’s first game.

There are still two quarterfinals to be played as of press time. Second-seeded Long Beach State takes on No. 7 CSUN while No. 3 UC Irvine, the Big West Championship host, plays No. 6 UC Santa Barbara for the remaining two semifinal spots.

The final is set for Sunday at noon. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Courtney Okumura scored the game’s opening goal at 5:07 of the first quarter and UC San Diego enjoyed a lead for the rest of the contest.

The Tritons led 4-1 after the first, 7-4 at halftime, and 11-7 following three quarters of play.

Late in the second period the Aggies closed within a goal. Trailing 4-1, they scored two straight times to make it 4-3. However, UC San Diego responded by putting three-consecutive goals on the board to go up 7-3.

After trading multiple goals in the third, Kendall Thomas, Abigail Schechter, and Lucia Doak went back-to-back-to-back, bringing the score to 12-7 Tritons at the 7:18 mark of the fourth frame. The Aggies couldn’t gain any momentum as the Tritons kept the pressure on until the final horn.

Ten different Tritons scored in the game and Okumura lead the way with a hat trick. Caroline Christl, Doak, and Holly Roberts each scored twice. Six other UC San Diego players contributed one goal apiece.

Lexi Stahl was busy in net for the Tritons, making 15 saves, two short of her career high, in the complete game victory.

For UC Davis, Sam Yoo netted three goals while Gianna Nocetti scored twice. Lucy Holland and Eva Stein split time in goal and made seven and four saves, respectively.

——

About UC San Diego Athletics

After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.