Tulane’s sand volleyball team delivered a dominating performance and recorded two 5-0 wins against New Orleans April 7 at Coconut Beach in Kenner, Louisiana. 

The Wave allowed just three of its opponents’ set scores to reach double digits in match one. Sophomore Annie Shurtz and sophomore Miah Diirell starred in match one, cruising to a 21-5, 21-4 win. Shurtz played with junior Courtney Liddle in match two and recorded a 21-10, 21-11 win.

Diirell teamed with senior Grace Weaver and recorded a 21-14, 21-9, win in match two. Weaver competed with sophomore Hannah Holmes in match one and won 21-8, 21-16. 

Tulane’s freshman duo Lan Nguyen and Maddy Mertz won 21-5, 21-6 in match one and 21-12, 21-13 in match two. Nguyen and Mertz have now won 10 straight dual matches and together have a record of 16-6.

“We went 5-0, so it was a really great performance on every aspect,” Mertz said. “I thought our effort really shone through today, and that’s what helped us push through and finish.”

The Wave extended its winning streak to five games, improving its record to 15-8 on the season, with a 3-2 win against North Florida day one of the Fiesta on Siesta Key Tournament Friday in Siesta Key, FL.

“[The match against UNF] was another very hard fought 3-2 victory, and I am proud of how hard we competed on several of the courts,” head coach Wayne Holly said. 

Sophomore Tea Juric and junior Jackie Wegner, the Wave’s top two winning tandems, won 21-16, 21-11. Mertz and Nguyen earned their No. 11 consecutive in their 21-11, 21-16. 

“[Juric] and [Wegner] played very efficiently, as did [Nguyen] and [Mertz] in their victories,” Holly said. “Those teams did precisely what you want to do in the hot sun on day one of a long event, play hard to win in two sets so you can get back in the shade.”

The Green Wave will play in its final regular season tournament, the Battle on the Bayou Tournament, April 18-19 in Baton Rouge.