Competing in three tournaments thus far, Tulane University Beach Volleyball started the season with a strong 11-2 record. The Green Wave’s triumph was largely powered by a stellar 8-1 home record at the White Sands Volleyball Courts.

After starting 2-0 on the first day of the Green Wave Invitational, Tulane finished strong with a 3-1 record in their season opener. Although losing their match to fifth-ranked LSU 4-1, the Olive and Blue dominated Nicholls State 5-0, successfully held off Spring Hill College and even 17th-ranked Georgia State.  

Highlights of the tournament include Tulane’s top pair of Kendall Peters and Maddie Speicher, who defeated every opponent they faced, including a 23-21, 21-13 win over Nicholls. Savka Popovic and Haley Gibson, along with the pair of Ashton Mares and Sara Hall, also made easy work of their competitors. 

The Green Wave had a successful weekend of competition and was ready to bring the same level of intensity at the Tiger Beach Challenge. 

At the tournament, the Green Wave swept Stephen F. Austin State, its fourth sweep of the season. Notable pairs include Peters and Speicher who won 21-14, 21-10, Mares and Hall who won 21-16, 21-18 and Mehlman and Torruella who won their matches 21-11, 21-16. 

Tulane took a tough 5-0 loss to fourth-ranked Loyola Marymount. Second pairing Mehlman and Torruella had the closest chance to take Loyola’s pair by taking the second set 21-14; however, they unfortunately dropped the third set with a close score of 15-12. 

The Green Wave rebounded nicely, winning all five matchups on the weekend of March 11. Tulane would grind out 3-2 wins over both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the University of Alabama Birmingham. However, Tulane swept Houston Baptist and Nicholls State before claiming a 4-1 victory over the University of New Orleans.

Beach volleyball will next be in action in the UAB Tournament from March 18-20 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Over the three days, Tulane will face UAB, Florida State University, UCLA, Grand Canyon University, Georgia State University and the University of South Carolina.