LSU Beach had an impressive run in Gulf Shores at the NCAA Championship, but ultimately came up short Saturday evening when they fell to UCLA, 3-2. The match came down to the third set on Court 5 where LSU lost, 15-13.
On the Courts:
Jess Lansman and Sydney Moore came out with the win on Court 4, 21-15 and 21-17.
On court 2, Claire Coppola and Kelli Greene-Agnew fell to the Bruins, 21-19 and 21-13.
The unstoppable team of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss maintained their perfect season by winning both sets 23-21.
The pair of Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope and Toni Rodriguez fell 23-21 and 21-18, giving the Bruins the opportunity to tie the match once again.
Finally, Olivia Ordonez and Kahlee York were defeated in the third set, 15-13 with the Bruins claiming the match and surviving another day.
The Tigers finished the season with a 27-9 record and remained a top-four team for the entirity of the year.
This was an emotional ending for the Tigers who had high hopes of coming out National Champions after finishing off the 2020 season as the No.1 team in the country. However, they never got the chance to play for the title due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All six seniors from last year returned to try their hand at securing the National Championship one last time.
Claire Coppola, Taryn Kloth, Jess Lansman, Toni Rodriguez, Kristen Nuss, Olivia Ordonez and Kahlee York have reached the end of the road for their careers at LSU.
This group of stand-out women have made both names for themselves and for the beach volleyball program here at LSU. Before their arrival, Tiger Beach had never made it to the NCAA Championship, and since their arrival LSU has never missed out on being invited to the big dance.
Among the seniors is Kristen Nuss, the winningest player in the history of college beach volleyball. She put up a whopping 139 victories throughout her years here. Not far behind her is senior Claire Coppola-with 121 wins in her career-coming in as the fourth most in college beach history.
As a dynamic duo, Kloth and Nuss put up a blistering 36-0 record this season, tying the best record by an undefeated pair on Court 1 ever.
Although the Tigers didn’t get the title they sacrificed heavily for, they came out victorious in many ways and have a bright future going forward as a young team.
“We’ll forever be a team no matter what the wins and losses.”
Kristen Nuss stated as she concluded her last post-game interview for the Tigers.