Texas obtained melted in its very first preference of NCAA beach competitors, yet prepares to leap right back right into the fire.
The Longhorns experienced a mind-blowing intro to the sand video game throughout its remain in Hawaii, going 0-5 in the Queens Cup over the weekend break and also gettng brushed up by the Rainbow Wahines in a twin satisfy Tuesday.
Their groups went 3-27 throughout the 5 trips in the 6 duals, that included shedding 3-2 to Nebraska, getting triumphes from Keonilei Akana-Devin Kahahawai on Court 2 and also Jordyn Byrd-Jenna Wenaas atNo 5. Native Hawaiians Akana and also Kahahawai likewise won their suit atNo 2 versus Washington.
The Longhorns’ unskilled beach gamers will certainly tackle even more of the sporting activity’s leading programs Friday and also Saturday as one of 5 groups in an occasion placed on byNo 13Long Beach State Others areNo 16 Stetson, CSUN and also Utah.
Texas is the protecting NCAA females’s interior volley ball champ and also has actually taken pleasure in regular quality on the hardcourt, with 4 AIAW or NCAA titles and also a document of progressing to the NCAA round of 8 or much better 16 times in the last 17 periods.
Erik Sullivan, the Olympian and also long time inside your home Texas associate head instructor, is likewise the instructor of the Longhorns’ start-up beach program. He confessed that not winning has actually been society shock to gamers accustomed to elite-level success.
“I love the way our girls are approaching it,” Sullivan informed Volleyball Mag.com from the flight terminal in Hawaii as the group waited for its trip back to the landmass. “I enjoy the means they’re completing, and also I enjoy the means they are taking care of their irritation of shedding, since a lot of the ladies in our program have not shed a whole lot in their occupations.
“We knew coming in that we were likely to deal [with adversity], so we tried to tamper [the players’] expectations down a little bit. We communicated to them that we knew there are going to be some frustrations here,and that you are competitive, but that this is just part of the process, so try not to get too frustrated with that piece of it.”
Sullivan is positive that his Longhorns need to be extra in sync in the upcoming occasion in Long Beach after having actually obtained a much better feeling for beach increases.
“By design, we’re playing everyone on the roster and not just 10 girls,” he keeps in mind, so connection not surprisingly was a concern in these very first suits.
“We would see as our practices progressed that our girls got more comfortable, and then we saw improvement from day to day in Hawaii,” Sullivan stated. “We have some kids with decent beach experience, some with a little bit and some with none at all. The girls have embraced the process of getting some more hours of training, of being in the sand, of playing in a different environment. It’s been enjoyable for them. They’ve had a good time even though it’s different and new.”
Akana and also Kahahawai taped program landmarks of winning its very first collection and also winning its very first suit, and also were gone up toNo 1 in the twin versus Hawaii.
“Keonilei and also Devin will certainly remain in the top fifty percent of our trips (*1 *) programs,” he stated.“So within a few years, beach will become its own autonomous program without much crossover between the indoor and outdoor teams. With the way that things are built in beach volleyball, we do see an opportunity for us to be pretty good pretty quickly.”
No 1 TCU plays No. 2 USC, weekend break sneak peek
TCU, profiled in detail in our very first installation recently, had not been jinxed by our insurance coverage.
The top-ranked group in college round dealt with incomplete company versus LSU, which was available in unbeaten and also ratedNo 4 across the country, going down just one suit out of 10 last weekend break in home-sand triumphes over the Tigers on successive days in its Horned Frog Challenge, and also strengthening its hold on theNo 1 area.
TCU’s embellishedNo 1 set of Spanish nationals Daniela Alvarez and also Tania Moreno (11-0 on the period) transferred to the leading called on UniversityBeach VB.com’s ranking after 2 straight-set accomplishments versus the Tigers’ Ellie Shank and also Kylie Deberg, that had actually beenNo 1 yet were bumped out of the leading 5. Alvarez-Moreno outscored Shank-Deberg 88-72 over 4 collections.
Horned Frogs instructor Hector Gutierrez informed Volleyball Mag.com that despite the fact that Alvarez (an elderly) and also Moreno (a junior) have budding futures as a group standing for Spain in expert global competitors, they intend to go back to TCU following period. Alvarez would certainly have staying qualification on the COVID year.
One of the wonderful facets of the college sand video game is that leading groups apparently have little worry of organizing each various other, and also such holds true this weekend break. Miami Beach will certainly have even more huge volley ball behaviors than simply the AVP when TCU (12-0) plays in the high-powered Surf & & Turf Invitational organized byNo 14 FIU on Friday and alsoSaturday Also completing are unbeatenNo 2 USC and alsoNo 15 FAU, and also, yes, TCU will certainly play all 3 of those rated teams.
An emphasize match of 2 of the country’s leading sets would typically have actually taken place when Alvarez and also Moreno played USC’s Megan Kraft and also Delaynie Maple, 9-0 and also ratedNo 5 by UniversityBeach VB.com. But Kraft remains in La Paz, Mexico, coupled with Emily Stockman for the Volleyball World Challenger.
Meanwhile, a bunch of rated groups will certainly collect in Gulf Shores, Alabama, website of the NCAA Championships, on Friday with Sunday for the March to May occasion organized by UAB. Teams completing consist ofNo 3 UCLA,No 4 Florida State,No 5 and also unbeaten Loyola Marymount,No 6 LSU,No 10 Georgia State,No 19 Tulane and alsoNo 20 South Carolina.
The Green Wave’s Emily Heintzelman and also Samantha Mehlman were recognized as the nationwide Pair of the Week by AVCA/CollegebeachVB. com and also as the Conference U.S.A. Pair of theWeek UCLA’sNo 1 set of Lexy Denaburg and also Maggie Boyd is ratedNo 2 across the country by CollegebeachVB.com and also was the Pac -12’s Pair of the Week.
Also,No 7 Grand Canyon will certainly organize a competitors in Phoenix that consists ofNo 18 Pepperdine and also Arizona State.
