Volleyball Performs Well at Collegiate Beach Challenge
April 21, 2010
Siesta Key, Fla. – Several University of Miami volleyball student-athletes took part in the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge over the weekend, enjoying fun in the sun on Sat., Apr. 17, as part of the second annual Fiesta on Siesta Key in Siesta Key, Fla.
Miami began the day with the tandem of Lici McGee and Lane Carico in the Gold Division. The two proved to be one of the hottest teams on the sand, using heavy blocking and powerful kills to push their way to a second place finish and a silver medal in the division.
“It was awesome to get out and play on the beach,” expressed Carico. “The sand is always an exciting challenge. We had a lot of fun competing and look forward to next year.”
However, they weren’t the only Hurricanes performing well in the Gold Division.
The Hurricanes team of Katie Gallagher and Ali Becker finished the day tied for third, collecting a bronze medal in the Gold Division. The two shared the third place title with USF’s duo of Maija Strazdina and Mariana Thon.
Prior to joining the Gold Division, the UM teams both posted wins in pool play, and won their respective pools. The Becker/Gallagher duo served as the top seed going into the Gold Division.
However, in the Gold Division, both UM duos lost to the winning team of State College of Florida’s Aurora Newgard and Emily Strack. The State College of Florida duo won both matches against the `Canes teams by 15-11 counts.
“The beach tournament was so much fun,” said Becker. “Although we didn’t practice all that much, we all did really well. Playing well against other good teams from around the state and country is always fun.”
In the Bronze Division, the Hurricanes’ team of freshmen Lizzie Hale and Jenna Berkley finished in a tie for ninth overall. Also placing in a tie for ninth place for the `Canes was the team of Ariell Cooke and Nrithya Sundararaman in the Silver Division.
The Siesta Key event concludes Miami’s spring schedule for 2010, with the `Canes claiming two head-to-head victories over Florida Gulf Coast and FAU, respectively. The Hurricanes’ 2010 fall schedule should be released shortly, as well as the 2010 roster with the latest signings and up-to-date news.
