Fowler, Marshall Claim Gold Division Title at SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships
April 18, 2009
SIESTA KEY, Fla. - The University of Tennessee beach volleyball tandem of sophomore Nikki Fowler and junior Kylie Marshall highlighted a successful stay at the second annual Southeastern Conference Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships for the Lady Volunteers, as it won all four of its playoff matches to stake claim to the Gold Division championship in Siesta Key, Fla., on Saturday.
"This was just an exceptionally well run, organized event in an incredibly beautiful venue," UT Head Coach Rob Patrick said. "To have so many teams competing at such a terrific location was great for collegiate beach volleyball and just the sport of volleyball, in general. The quality of competition was much higher than I had anticipated and every team just continued to get better and better as the day went on."
The event was part of the Fiesta on Siesta Key, one of the largest collegiate beach volleyball events in the country. In addition to the SEC tournament, the competition also included the Collegiate Beach Volleyball Challenge, in which 11 other teams from around the country competed.
"One of the more underrated aspects of this type of tournament is that it allows our players to get to know their opponents on more of a personal level," Patrick said. "Sometimes it can be hard to cultivate some of those relationships when you are playing in a larger, team environment. This was a much more friendly, but still highly competitive, atmosphere.
"Another great thing about beach volleyball is that it appeals to such a broader demographic," Patrick said. "It was great to see so many people stop by the courts today just to check out some of the action. One of the more surprising things about this trip was how many Tennessee fans we ran into who were just on vacation but took the time to come out and support us while they were spending time on the beach."
The duo of Fowler and Marshall proved itself to be the top pairing in the SEC by claiming four wins in the Gold Division playoffs against the best teams the rest of the league had to offer. After a strong showing in four Pool Three contests, the Big Orange combo opened the playoffs with a 21-18 victory over the Arkansas squad of Caira Dortch and Kelli Stipanovich.
Fowler and Marshall then picked up an impressive 21-16 triumph over Florida foe's Kristy Jaeckel and Elyse Cusack before tallying a 21-14 win over Alabama's Mary Catherine Aune and Brooks Webster in the semifinals.
The finals pitted Fowler and Marshall against the South Carolina combination of Hannah Lawing and Jordan Bradosky for the second time on the day. In pool play, the Gamecock duo was dominant in the first set, winning 21-6, before the UT pairing came back to win the second frame, 23-21. In the finals of the Gold Division playoffs, Lawing and Bradosky led by a pair of points for most of the match until Fowler and Marshall were able to knot it up at 19-all, winning the final four points of the contest en route to a 21-19 victory.
"For Nikki and Kylie to win such a tremendous competition against high-quality opponents is truly impressive," Patrick said. "They both played at an extremely high level for long periods of time. Their ball control in the passing, serving and hitting games was extraordinarily consistent in outdoor weather conditions. Their mental toughness really showed through today as they constantly came up with big plays when they needed them the most."
The Orange and White had two other beach teams competing in the event as well, with freshmen Kayla Jeter and Kelsey Mahoney joining forces in Pool 11 and the trio of junior Carol Cheade and freshmen DeeDee Harrison and Amanda Friday taking part in a trio of two-set contests in Pool 17.
"Both of our other teams showed some real progress as the day went along as well," Patrick said. "This beach experience is only going to help them become better all-around volleyball players. It was especially gratifying to see some of our younger players come into this type of atmosphere and play as well as they did. That only bodes well for the future of Tennessee volleyball."
After three pool play matches, Jeter and Mahoney opened up the Bronze Division playoffs with a 21-18 victory over the Alabama squad of Jennifer Weber and Elizabeth Salstrand. After the tandem of Cheade and Friday dropped its first round matchup with Mississippi State's Mandy Mellencamp and Kayla Woodard, 21-9, the rookie tandem of Jeter and Mahoney took on another Crimson Tide combo in the second round, falling by a 21-13 score to Ashley Frazier and Lauren Wintzinger.
Beach volleyball was introduced to the collegiate scene by CBS College Sports Network with the Collegiate Nationals, an original event founded by the Network in the spring of 2006. That event is now in its fourth season. The coaches of the Southeastern and the Sunshine State Conferences followed with their beach tournaments in the spring of 2008. The popularity of those events along with others that sprang up spontaneously around the country helped lead to the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics to recommend in the summer of 2008 that Sand Volleyball be added to the emerging sports list for women. Representatives from NCAA Division I and II will vote on that proposal later this month.
For complete results and more information on the event, please log on to www.fiestaonsiestakey.com.
SEC COACHES BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS Gold Division Playoffs
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