Ospreys Claim Coach and Pair of the Year honors; Stetson’s Bassett Freshman of the Year
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Florida picked up three more honors, including two pair championships, while Stetson also claimed two pairs titles and FGCU got one of its own on the final day of the 2012 Atlantic Sun Sand Volleyball Championship.
North Florida posted a perfect 4-0 record in the two-day team competition and claimed the inaugural 2012 A-Sun Sand Volleyball Team Championship on Saturday. Ospreys Head Coach Steve Loeswick was also named Coach of the Year and the Ospreys’ #1 pair of Anna Budinska and Dagnija Medina earned Pair of the Year honors.
The Jacksonville University sand volleyball team finished fourth in the inaugural Atlantic Sun Conference Sand Volleyball Championship.
Hosted on the JU campus, the Dolphins went 1-3 in the team competition and had two pairs lose by two points in the semifinal matches of the flights on Sunday.
"This was a great inaugural event," said JU head coach Michelle Collier. "We were very competitive in each of our matches, but our mistakes were costly. For our first sand season, it's a good starting point as we build the program in the coming years."
Stetson’s flight champions included the #5 pair of Kaylee Ream and Savannah Byl and the #2 pair of Alexa Stonish and Maren Rygh. The Hatters’ Julie Bassett also claimed Freshman of the Year Honors.
FGCU’s #3 pair of Brook Kohler and Brittany Muse won the Flight #3 championship. The Eagles’ #3 pair went 5-1 on the weekend.
The Ospreys made program and national history with the win, as the A-Sun Championship is the first sand volleyball conference championship in NCAA Division I history. North Florida won 15 of its 20 matches in the championship and was the only team to complete the championship unscathed in dual match play.
2012 All-Tournament Team
• Cassie Roy and Jamie Duffy, Mercer
• Kendall Courtney and Cari Whitmire, Jacksonville
• Katie DiGirolamo and Stephanie Marin, Stetson
• Brooke Kohler and Brittany Muse, Florida Gulf Coast
• Anna Budinska and Dagnija Medina, North Florida
A-Sun Pair of the Year:
Anna Budinska and Danija Medina, North Florida
Freshman of the Year
Julie Bassett, Stetson University
Coach of the Year
Steve Loeswick, University of North Florida
Flighted Pairs Results
Flight #5 Matches
• FGCU – Meyer/Childs def. Mercer – Knapper/Brett, 28-20
• UNF – Shirley/Baran def. FGCU Meyer/Childs, 28-26
• Stetson – Ream/Byl def. Jacksonville, 28-25
• Stetson – Ream/Byl def. North Florida Shirley/Baran, 28-26
Flight 5 Champions: Stetson – Ream/Byl
Flight #4 Matches
• UNF – McGuire/Pridgeon def. Mercer Braxton/Petsos, 28-23
• UNF – McGuire/Pridgeon def. Stetson DiGirolamo/Marin, 28-25
• FGCU – Masters/Hopper def. Jacksonville Loeppky/Sanderson, 28-20
• UNF – McGuire/Pridgeon def. FGCU Masters/Hopper, 28-16
Flight 4 Champions: UNF – McGuire/Pridgeon
Flight #3 Matches
• Mercer – Rochefort/Carlton def. Jacksonville Cullen/Teplitz, 28-19
• UNF – Trembley/Claessens def. Mercer Rochefort/Carlton, 28-25
• FGCU – Kohler/Muse def. Stetson Hoffman/Kalin, 28-16
• FGCU – Kohler/Muse def. UNF Trembley/Claessens, 28-24
Flight 3 Champions: FGCU – Kohler/Muse
Flight #2 Matches
• FGCU – Mambuca/Mesner def. Mercer Katona/Sanchez 28-22
• FGCU – Mambuca/Mesner def. North Florida Jenkins/Strack, 28-24
• Stetson – Stonish/Rygh def. Jacksonville Kane/Strausbaugh, 30-28
• Stetson – Stonish/Rygh def. FGCU Mambuca/Mesner, 28-17
Flight 2 Champions: Stetson – Stonish/Rygh
Flight #1 Matches
* North Florida – Budinska/Medina def. Mercer Duffy/Roy, 28-20
* North Florida – Budinska/Medina def. Stetson Melville/Bassett, 28-20
* FGCU – Holm/Youngquist def. Jacksonville Courtney/Whitmire, 28-26
* North Florida – Budinska/Medina def. FGCU Youngquist/Holm, 28-22
Flight 1 Champions: North Florida – Budinska/Medine
