CCSA Beach Volleyball All-Conference Awards
ATLANTA, Ga. - For the first time in CCSA history, there is a back-to-back Pair of the Year winner, as LSU's No. 1 pair Claire Coppola & Kristen Nuss captured the award for the second-straight season. Joining Coppola and Nuss as superlative winners are Florida State's Kate Privett and Head Coach Brooke Niles, who captured Freshman and Coach of the Year honors. The 2019 CCSA All-Conference squad was voted on by the league's Head Coaches.
Coppola and Nuss were brilliant all season long playing at the No. 1 flight for LSU and posted a 23-3 record. Together, they defeated 14 ranked pairs on the season, including nine victories against teams ranked in the top-10 of the AVCA National Poll this season. The pair's three losses came to the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation in UCLA and USC. Coppola and Nuss ride into the CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship on a eight-game win streak, and winners of 14 of their last 15 matches.
Privett becomes the third Seminole to win Freshman of the Year honors. She posted an individual record of 21-5 this season an 11-1 record paired with Macy Jerger and a 9-4 mark with Molly McBain. Privett joins fellow 'Noles Francesca Goncalves and Nikki Esposito as winners of the honor. After guiding Florida State to another 20-win season and a top-three ranking, Niles earns her first CCSA Coach of the Year award. The Seminoles are yet again the top seed at the CCSA Championship and seed their fourth-straight title.
They were joined by four other CCSA beach volleyball pairs on the All-Conference team. No. 1 seed Florida State is represented by Alaina Chacon and Madison Fitzpatrick. The two-time CCSA Pair of the Week winner, posted a record of 19-9 this season and a 10-4 mark on the No. 1 court. Chacon and Fitzpatrick lead the 'Noles into the CCSA Beach Volleyball Championship as the No. 1 seed and look to win their fourth-straight CCSA Championship and return to the NCAA Championships.
The No. 3 seed at the CCSA Championship, FIU is represented on the All-Conference team by one of the best pairs in the league in Federica Frasca and Margherita Bianchin. FIU's top pair posted a 19-5 record and a 17-4 record on the No. 1 court. They also notched seven wins over ranking opponents, including a W against No. 1 UCLA. Frasca and Bianchin join LSU's Coppola & Nuss as back-to-back selections on the CCSA All-Conference Team.
Tulane's representation comes from Eva Torruella and Kaylie McHugh. McHugh makes her second-straight appearance on the team, as she was selected last year when she was paired with Madeline Mertz. Torruella and McHugh notched a record of 19-8 out of the No. 1 pairing for the Green Wave this season. This season, they took down five ranked pairs including the top pair from No. 11 South Carolina.
South Carolina, the No. 4 seed in the CCSA Championship, lands the pair of Cadie Bates and Shannon Williams on the 2019 All-Conference Team. The duo went 16-10 this season together on the No. 1 court, with three of their wins coming against ranked opponents. Joining Bates and Williams on the All-Conference Team is UAB's tandem of Tressa Buckland and Jaelyn Keene. Buckland and Keene are the final pair on the All-Conference team. The pair went a team best 13-4 this season, as the No. 1 pairing.
All Conference Team
Claire Coppola # LSU
Kristen Nuss # LSU
Federica Frasca, FIU
Margherita Bianchin, FIU
Madison Fitzpatrick, Florida State
Alaina Chacon, Florida State
Shannon Williams, South Carolina
Cadie Bates, South Carolina
Kaylie McHugh, Tulane
Eva Torruella, Tulane
Jaelyn Keene, UAB
Tressa Buckland, UAB
All Freshman Team
Kate Privett, Florida State
Allison Coens, LSU
Maddy Delmonte, Georgia State
Ronja Klinger, FIU
Kelli Agnew, LSU