Beach VB National Championship Recap
Spartanburg, SC. The Spartanburg Methodist Women’s Beach Volleyball traveled down to Hickory Point Beach in Taveras, Florida this week for the very first NJCAA National tournament.
This tournament would be a play to completion tournament, which means that all 5 pairs would start at the same time and would stop remaining matches as soon as one team won 3 duals. The first day would ultimately be decided by pairs in the 3,4, and 5 positions.
Day 1
The pioneers would open up on Thursday morning in pool play against Trinidad State from Trinidad, CO. winning in the 3’s 21-9,21-15, followed by the 4’s 21-15,21-13, and finally the 5’s 21-8,21-14.
St. Johns River from Palatka, FL. would win the next match in the same pairs 3’s 17-21,9-21; 4’s 9-21,9-21; and 5’s 16-21,15-21. In both matches the 1’s and 2’s would be forced to concede and take no scores.
Finishing day one in second place would move the Pioneers to the first of two challenge matches set for Friday morning.
Day 2
Finishing second in pool three would mean that the Pioneers would face off with the first team in pool four which would be Lake-Sumter from Leesburg, FL. coming off two wins against Mesa from Mesa, AZ. And Bryant & Stratton from Wauwatosa, WI.
The SMC Beach team would drop this match on decisions in the 2’s 14-21,16-21; 4’s 12-21,15-21, 5’s 11-21,18-21. This match would also drop the Pioneers from Championship contention and move them to the second challenge match of the day to decide which remaining bracket they would play the final day of competition.
The second match of the day would be against region 10 champion Richard Bland from Petersburg, VA. This set would be decided in the 2’s 15-21, 6-21; 3’s 12-21,17-21, and the 4’s 17-21, 8-21. This would send the Pioneers to the second consolation bracket to close out the third and final day of competition.
Day 3
The final day of competition would be nothing but exciting for the Pioneers as they finished the day will back-to-back wins against Trinidad State (3-1) in the 1’s 21-6,21-10; 2’s 21-15,21-16; 3’s 21-6, 21-10 ;4’s 19-21,16-21 and against another region 10 opponent Gaston from Dallas, NC. winning in the 1’s 21-5, 21-10; 3’s 21-15,21-13, 4’s 21-18, 21-19.
