Beach Volleyball Falls to Ranked Opponents in Georgia State and Washington
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa beach volleyball team opened their 2025 season with hard-fought battles against No. 13 Georgia State and No. 14 Washington, falling 4-1 and 5-0, respectively at the Tampa Beach Volleyball Complex on day one of The Sandy Spartans Invitational, on Friday.
Elizabeth Price made her Spartan debut in the 1's, transitioning from the hardwood where she recorded 877 kills as an undergrad at Nova Southeastern. She partnered with Angel Williams, who is coming off of a 20-9 season in 2024, took on Georgia State's top pair, narrowly dropped the first set 24-22 before falling in the second. The Spartan's lone victory against Georgia State came from Anna Bayes and Brooke Green in the 5's. Bayes, who boasted a 12-7 record last season as a freshman and even went on a 9-match winning streak, picked up where she left off with Green. They dominated their match and won in a three-set thriller. After going 23-10 last season with a 16-game win streak, junior sisters, Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe made their season debut in the 2's. They battled closely but unfortunately lost both sets, by only a combined 7 points. The 3's match saw Madelynn Hokanson, making her Spartan debut as a freshman, and Hailey Peterson, who won all five matches at AVCA Championships last season, including a victory at the national championship victory, start strong with a 21-18 first-set victory. However, Georgia State rallied, taking the next two sets and the match. In the 4's, Sammie Ostrander and Meghan Schreck battled through a three-set match after taking the first set 21-19. They narrowly fell 21-19 in the second and, in the decisive third set, the duo fought hard but ultimately fell 15-12.
For their second match of the day, Tampa took on No. 14 Washington. In the 1's, Price and Williams narrowly lost in straight sets, however, showing promise as their four losses of the day came from 9 total points. The 2's match was a nail-biter, with the Wolfe twins pushing the duel to three thrilling sets. After taking the first set 21-15, the sisters were edged out in a dramatic second set 26-24. As for the marathon of a third set, they ultimately fell 19-17. In the 3's, Hokanson and Peterson showed resilience after dropping the first set 21-13, bouncing back to claim the second set 21-18. However, they were unable to maintain momentum in the third, falling 15-6. The 4's pairing of Ostrander and Schreck fought through an intense first set, losing just 27-25 after several lead changes and a few extra points. They were eventually outpaced in the second set, 21-15. After a rough first set in the 5's, Bayes and Green fell 21-12 but kept it close in the second set before ultimately losing 21-19.
Georgia State 4, Tampa 1
1. Savannah Ebarb/Destiny White (GSU) def. Elizabeth Price/Angel Williams (UT) 24-22, 21-18
2. Ayla Johnson/Aree Keller (GSU) def. Nevaeh Wolfe/Hailey Wolfe (UT) 21-17, 21-18
3. Aliisa Vuorinen/Noalani Nuez (GSU) def. Madelynn Hokanson/Hailey Peterson (UT) 18-21, 21-15, 15-10
4. Michaela Jefferson/Danica Singleton (GSU) def. Sammie Ostrander/Meghan Schreck (UT) 19-21, 21-19, 15-12
5. Anna Bayes/Brooke Green (UT) def. Kaebre Sullivan/Kaylie Drysdale (GSU) 21-13, 21-18
Washington 5, Tampa 0
1. Katarina Pantovic/Lauren Wilcock (UW) def. Elizabeth Price/Angel Williams (UT) 21-19, 22-20
2. Teila Allen/Jade Sadeiko (UW) def. Nevaeh Wolfe/Hailey Wolfe (UT) 15-21, 26-24, 19-17
3. Brooke Balue/Niki Egan (UW) def. Madelynn Hokanson/Hailey Peterson (UT) 21-13, 18-21, 15-6
4. Emma Hohenauer/Sarah Wilcock (UW) def. Sammie Ostrander/Meghan Schreck (UT) 27-25, 21-15
5. Hannah Doyle/Alina Urzua (UW) def. Anna Bayes/Brooke Green (UT) 21-12, 21-19
Up Next: The Spartans look to bounce back for their win of the season tomorrow, February 22, as they face No. 16 Florida Atlantic, at 10:00 AM, and No. 17 Florida International, at 4:00 PM.