Despite ending the season with a frustrating 2-7 stretch that included five conference losses, the Tulane women’s beach volleyball team hopes to reverse the tide at the 2019 Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Beach Volleyball Championships.

Having survived on the rankings bubble for much of the 2018-19 season, the Green Wave will enter the LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Georgia as an underdog. Competing at the tournament this weekend, the Wave’s record is at 16-15 overall and 7-11 in conference.

While the team hit its stride in March, the 12-2 hot streak ended just a little too early as Tulane attempted to push strongly towards the upcoming conference championship.

The Green Wave will likely struggle against stiff conference competition in a CCSA conference with five teams in the top 20 in the nation, as it only posted an abysmal 1-11 record against ranked teams. The team’s only win over a ranked opponent came in a tight 3-2 victory over No. 20 Texas Christian University at the Florida International University Surf ‘N’ Turf Invitational March 30 in Miami.

Last year, the team was seeded sixth and managed to score victories against the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the College of Charleston, but failed to advance to the semi-finals after falling to the University of South Carolina and Florida International University.

This year, however, Tulane is seeded ninth. The Green Wave will open the tournament against fourth seeded South Carolina, seeking redemption for last year’s loss, before battling it out with fifth seeded Georgia State University.

Games begin this Friday, April 19, and the conference championship will be played Sunday, April 21.