Flyers Drop Two in Pool Play at NJCAA Championship

Sandhills Community College opened its second appearance at the NJCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship on Thursday with a pair of tough pool play matches against third seed Lake-Sumter State College and second seed State College of Florida. Despite falling 5-0 in both duals, the Flyers showed resilience and flashes of strong play, nearly grabbing wins at multiple flights.

In the morning session against Lake-Sumter, Caroline Bradford and Jenna Luquer stormed out with a dominant 21-11 win in the first set but were edged in a tight three-set battle (21-11, 15-21, 13-15). At Pair 5, Emery Freeman and Jacque Holden pushed their match to a third set as well, forcing extra points in Set 2 before narrowly falling (10-21, 22-20, 6-15).

Other flights battled valiantly, with Katelyn Bunting and Zoey Hall at Pair 4 staying within striking distance in both sets (17-21, 16-21). 

In the afternoon dual against top-seeded State College of Florida, Sandhills once again showed fight, particularly at Pair 4, where Bunting and Hall pushed the first set to extra points before falling 21-23, 16-21. 

The Flyers will wrap up pool play Friday morning against Wake Tech at 8:00 AM. Following a brief break in the day, the tournament will be seeded and bracket play will begin in the afternoon.

Match Results – Thursday, May 1

vs. Lake-Sumter State College
Sophia Cooper/Braelyn Mittauer (LSSC) def. Aydan Bullard/Nikki Lambert (SCC) 21-10, 21-16
Madeline Noel/Emma Van Deusen (LSSC) def. Caroline Bradford/Jenna Luquer (SCC) 11-21, 21-15, 15-13
Cecilia Calton/Audrey Pickle (LSSC) def. Lainey Mullins/Reagan Smith (SCC) 21-15, 21-10
Mariana Comartin/Brooke Walker (LSSC) def. Katelyn Bunting/Zoey Hall (SCC) 21-17, 21-16
Rylee Martineau/Sydney Pickle (LSSC) def. Emery Freeman/Jacque Holden (SCC) 21-10, 20-22, 15-6

vs. State College of Florida
Emma Acedo Lapieza/Aleksandra Wrobel (SCF) def. Aydan Bullard/Nikki Lambert (SCC) 21-16, 21-8
Addison Beaver/Taylor Orris (SCF) def. Caroline Bradford/Jenna Luquer (SCC) 21-6, 21-10
Liepa Kucinskaite/Morgan McGuire (SCF) def. Lainey Mullins/Reagan Smith (SCC) 21-8, 21-11
Isabela Cardenas/Shelby Pillow (SCF) def. Katelyn Bunting/Zoey Hall (SCC) 23-21, 21-16
Bianca Guerrero/Aryanna Spainhower (SCF) def. Emery Freeman/Jacque Holden (SCC) 21-16, 21-10