Lady Flyers Beach Volleyball Clinch Victories in Doubleheader

The Lady Flyers beach volleyball team secured consecutive wins in a doubleheader against Wake Tech Community College on Wednesday afternoon. Wake Tech, only fielding four pairs, forfeited a game in each match, contributing to the Flyers' triumph. With these victories, the Flyers advance to a 10-10 record for the season as they gear up for their last home event.

"It was really awesome to see the girls on the home court really competing and going 4-1," expressed Flyers coach Alicia Riggan. "Especially turning around and playing again, with how hot it was, I thought the girls did a really great job of staying focused and keeping the foot on the gas pedal."

Commencing the action at 3 pm, Caroline Bradford and Emma Brown initiated the scoring for the Flyers with a hard-fought three-set decision (21-19, 18-21, 15-10). Aydan Bullard and Jenna Luquer followed suit with a convincing two-set victory (21-10, 21-14), while Olivia Barlowe and Nikki Lambert faced a tight two-set loss (18-21, 19-21). Lainey Mullins and Dajsha Fields sealed the deal for the first game with a dominant two-set win (21-9, 21-10), securing a 4-1 win for Sandhills.

"A lot of the things we've been focusing on in practice, you see them execute in-game, and that's really exciting," remarked Riggan. "It's rewarding, and having the support from the sidelines helps us push through in tight matches like that today."

Brown and Bradford continued their winning streak in the second game with another close three-set victory (19-21, 21-17, 15-8), while Bullard and Luquer clinched their second win of the day in two sets (21-15, 21-13). Despite Lambert and Barlowe facing a close three-set battle (21-15, 12-21, 15-17), Mullins and Fields wrapped up the day with a significant two-set win (21-15, 21-18).

"Today clinches us in third place out of the five teams, so it seeds us for the tournament," stated Riggan. "We've got a big weekend with Spartanburg, Liberty's going to be a big challenge, so the opportunity to get touches before the region tournament is big."

Looking ahead, the Flyers will face Spartanburg Methodist College at 10 am and Liberty University at 2 pm on Saturday for their final home game day of the season. Additionally, Saturday marks the team's sophomore day, where the Flyers' sophomores will be recognized before the first match against Spartanburg Methodist. Moreover, it will be Junior Flyers day, inviting around 90 youth female beach volleyball players, part of the Junior Flyers program, to come out and support. Players are encouraged to wear their tank tops and witness some of their coaches in action. Come out and support the Flyers!

T. Ratcliff