LakePoint, Ga. - Day 2 of the 2017 Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Beach Volleyball Championship saw pool play conclude in the early afternoon and then with inclement weather in the area, the semifinals were pushed up to Saturday evening. Florida State and FIU advanced to Sunday's Championship Final.
Pool A Recap:
No. 1 Florida State continued its dominance with two more victories on Saturday to win Pool A with a 4-0 mark. In the morning session, the Seminoles defeated South Carolina 3-2 with wins coming on Court 4, 2 and 1 to clinch the dual. Leigh Andrew and Brooke Kuhlman sealed the win with a 26-24, 21-18 victory at the top court. South Carolina got hard fought three-set victories at Court 3 and 5, but dropped the dual 3-2. The Seminoles came back in the second match of the day to win 4-1 against FIU. Two matches went the distance, with Kuhlman and Andrew winning on Court 1 in three sets. Hailey Luke and Eva Torruella clinched the dual with a 21-18, 21-17 victory on Court 5.
FIU took advantage of an opportunity given to them by Tulane, who defeated South Carolina earlier in the afternoon. With that victory, the Panthers had a chance to secure a spot in the semifinals with a win against UNCW in the final match of Pool A. FIU made quick work with straight set wins on Courts 5, 4 and 1 to clinch the dual and a spot in the semifinals. They went on to win the match 4-1 against the Seahawks.
Pool B Recap:
In Pool B, LSU went 4-0 to secure its spot in the semifinals. The Tigers got a 5-0 win against the College of Charleston, and then clinched a dramatic 3-2 victory against Georgia State later in the afternoon. The match came down to Court 2 as Maddie Ligon and Emmy Allen were locked in a third set. They got control late and secured a 15-11 win to give LSU the dual and knock out Georgia State.
Florida Atlantic was the second team to advance out of Pool B as the Owls picked up wins against UAB (3-2) and College of Charleston (5-0). The win against UAB gave FAU the upperhand in the pool. The match was tied 2-2 and it came down to Court 2 where Jazmine Barker and Brittany Pelliteri won a dramatic third set, 16-14 to secure the victory and a spot in the semifinals for the Owls.
Semifinal - Florida State vs. FAU Recap:
Florida State advanced to its second consecutive CCSA Championship Final with a 4-1 win against FAU in the first semifinal. The Seminoles picked up wins on Courts 2, 3, 4 and 5 to down the Owls, who earned a win at Court 1. The match was clinched on Court 4 where Katie Horton and Francesca Goncalves battled against Nicole Grant and Nicole Navarro. After winning a tightly contested first set 21-19, the second set went into extra points. The Seminole pair came out on top 25-23 to send FSU back to the title game. They awaited who they would play as the second semifinal came down to the wire.
Semifinal - LSU vs FIU Recap:
After LSU took a 2-0 dual lead with wins on Court 2 and 3, the Panthers began their comeback on Court 1 where their top pair of Fede Frasca and Bianca Bianchin rallied from one set down to win 16-14 in the third set to get FIU on the board. With four of the five matches coming down to a third set, tensions were high as both teams battled. FIU tied the dual at 2-2 when Lina Bernier and Katie Hogan won their third set 16-14 after trailing 14-10 in the final stanza. Both teams and fans moved to Court 5 where the match would be decided. Bela Sataric and Teffy Bethancourt were the heroes for FIU as they rallied after dropping the first set to win the second 22-20 and then clinch the match 15-11. The win sends FIU to its first CCSA Championship Final.
The Championship match will be streamed live on ESPN3 tomorrow at 1 PM. Stay up to date on the CCSA Twitter Page with inclement weather expected in the Lakepoint area tomorrow.