Tampa Heads North for Seminole Beach Bash
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No. 19 Tampa Beach Volleyball travels north to Tallahassee following their successful opening weekend.
About the Spartans: The Spartans are set to travel to Tallahassee for the Seminole Beach Bash for the fifth time in program history. Tampa's largest program upset came in the 2022 Tallahassee event against No. 8 Cal Poly, and the Spartans look to continue causing a stir in the beach volleyball world this weekend. Tampa enters their second weekend of play with a 2-2 record after their first home tournament of the year, falling to No. 18 Arizona State and No. 12 Georgia State, but knocking off No. 17 South Carolina and No. 11 FAU. The college beach volleyball world took notice of the Spartans' early success and rewarded them with the program's first-ever national ranking, slotting the squad at No. 19 in the country. Standouts for the Spartans during their first weekend included pairings Madison Brunick and Keely Hamilton as well as twins Hailey Wolfe and Neveah Wolfe. Both Pairings went 3-1 on the weekend and were crucial in Tampa's upset of No. 11 FAU. Freshmen Teona Treskunov and Anna Bayes also proved they could compete with some of the best on the college circuit, and the Spartans will continue to look to them for contributions. Tampa starts their weekend with a Saturday morning match against host No. 4 Florida State, whom the Spartans have never beaten in competitive play.
About No. 4 Florida State: The Seminoles return for the 2024 season following heartbreak in Gulf Shores where they fell to UCLA in the 2023 NCAA National Championship semi-finals. FSU enters its second weekend of play following 5-0 sweeps in three straight matches against Coastal Carolina, North Florida, and Jacksonville. The Seminoles field a roster with a combined eight graduate and senior players along with multiple star juniors and sophomores. FSU makes their first home appearance of the season squaring off against Tampa, who they hold an unblemished 7-0 record against.
About Louisiana Monroe: The Warhawks sport an impressive 31-4 record from their 2023 season, which came to an end in the Sunbelt Conference Championship against Georgia State. ULM enters their second weekend of play in the 2024 season with a 3-1 record, claiming 3-2 wins against UT Martin and Lindenwood and a sweep of Southwest Baptist. The Warhawks roster is bottom-heavy, to say the least, with only two seniors and one junior supported by eight freshmen and six sophomores. ULM squares off against Stetson in their opening match of the weekend, who hold a 4-1 series advantage over the Warhawks. The Spartans face off against ULM Saturday afternoon and look to improve to 3-0 in series history.
About No. 16 Georgia State: The Panthers claim a 2-2 record after traveling to Tampa for their opening tournament of the 2024 season. The Panthers fell to No. 11 FAU and No. 18 Arizona State on day 1 of the Tampa Tournament but responded on day 2 with two wins against Tampa and No. 17 South Carolina. 2023 NCAA 2nd Team All-Americans Angel and Bella Ferary were the strongest pairs for the Panthers in Tampa and head into the second weekend of Play with a 3-1 record. GSU squares off against No. 17 Stetson in their first Saturday match in Tallahassee and the winner will claim a 10-9 series history advantage. Tampa looks to claim their first win against GSU in series history, following a narrow loss to the Panthers last weekend.
About No. 17 Stetson: In 2023, the Hatters claimed a 22-15 record, made an NCAA championship appearance in Gulf Shores, and topped No. 11 Georgia State in their best win of the season. Stetson enters their second weekend of play following their home tournament in which they claimed four straight wins. The Hatters field a strong roster headlined by graduate student Shae Henson; an NCAA 2nd Team All-American who returns to Stetson for her final season. Stetson squares off against ULM in their opening matchup of the weekend and look to claim their fifth series victory over the Warhawks. On Sunday, the Spartans battle Stetson for the fourth time in program history and look to notch their first win.
This Weekend's Schedule: The Spartans square off against No. 4 Florida State, Louisiana Monroe, and Georgia State on Saturday 3/2, at 9 AM, 12:45 PM, and 3:15 PM respectively. Then Tampa takes on No. 17 Stetson at 12:00 PM on Sunday 3/3