LakePoint, Ga. – Tulane's No. 1 pairing of Madeline Mertz and Kaylie McHugh were on top of their game last week as the duo collects the CCSA Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week honor, the league announced on Tuesday.
Mertz and McHugh were on fire as they posted a perfect 7-0 record, including a 5-0 mark at the Green Wave Invitational to help Tulane go 6-1 in duals last week. The pair opened the week with two dominating straight-set victories against Louisiana Monroe. They then followed that up with another straight-set sweep on Day One of the Green Wave Invitational. They defeated the No. 1 pairing of Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss from LSU by the score of 21-17, 21-16 to keep their unbeaten week going.
On the final day of the Green Wave Invitational, the duo opened with a dramatic three-set win against the top pair of No. 12-ranked Grand Canyon to help the Green Wave clinch the match. The duo won 16-14 at the top flight as Tulane beat No. 12 Grand Canyon, tied for the the highest ranked team the Green Wave has beaten this year. Mertz and McHugh continued their outstanding play with two more sweeps to close out a perfect 7-0 weekend.
Tulane is headed to the Palmetto Invitational this weekend in Columbia, S.C. where they will have a final tuneup before the CCSA Championship. Tulane, ranked No. 19 this week, will face two more ranked opponents in No. 20 College of Charleston and No. 9 South Carolina. Action begins on Friday the 13th with two matches, before concluding with two more matches on Saturday.
CCSA Beach Volleyball Pair of the Week - Apr. 10th
Madeline Mertz | Senior | Peoria, Ariz.
Kaylie McHugh | Sophomore | Davie, Fla.
- Recorded an impressive 7-0 record last week to lead Tulane to six dual victories; all of them coming at No. 1 court
- Six of the seven victories last week came in straight sets for the top pair
- Earned a 21-17, 21-16 victory against #8 LSU's top pairing
- Picked up a huge three-set victory against #12 Grand Canyon to help the Green Wave win the dual
- Won the third and decisive set in extra points, 16-14, to stay undefeated on week
- Dominated to close out the weekend with 21-9, 21-15 win against New Orleans
Other Nominees: Gabrielle Dischler/Jess Kinlaw, Florida Atlantic; Tory Paranagua/Vanessa Freire, Florida State; Brooke Weiner/Tiffany Creamer, Georgia State; Olivia Powers/Hunter Domanski, LSU.
| Date | CCSA Pair of the Week |
| Feb. 27 | Claire Coppola / Kristen Nuss, LSU |
| Mar. 6 | Annika Van Gunst / Brooke Weiner, Georgia State |
| Mar. 13 | Emmy Allen / Maddie Ligon, LSU |
| Mar. 20 | Claire Coppola / Kristen Nuss, LSU |
| Mar. 27 | Cadie Bates / Katie Smith, South Carolina |
| Apr. 3 | Federica Frasca / Margherita Bianchin, FIU |
| Apr. 10 | Madeline Mertz / Kaylie McHugh, Tulane |