Tulane Punches Second Bid for AVCA Pairs National Championship
Already owning one bid for the 2025 AVCA Pairs National Championship, the Tulane beach volleyball program secured its second possible bid with a runner-up result by Katie Hansen and Emma Morris at the AVCA Central Qualifiers on Sunday.
The Wave began the day with two pairs in the semifinals of the championship bid division, with the duo of Hansen and Morris advancing to the final. They would face a pairing from UAB in the title tilt, falling 2-0 (16-21, 17-21). They finished as the runners-up, which secured Tulane’s second bid for the 2025 AVCA Pairs National Championship.
The duo of Sylar Ensign and Molly Trodd fell short in the semifinal match-up to begin the day and thusly played in the third-place match against a pair from North Alabama. They claimed a 2-0 victory with sets of 21-18 and 21-15 as the Wave notched two of the top-three positions in the event.
Tulane’s third pair in the championship bid division was Amirah Ali and Tawny Ensign. They opened the day with a match against a Blazer pair, winning in three sets to play for ninth place as the championship bid division is played to place. The Wave tandem won set one 21-11 before falling 21-17 in set two. The decisive third frame went Tulane’s wat by a margin of 15-12. Ali and Ensign advanced to face another UAB pair in the match for ninth, winning in two sets (21-17, 21-18).
The event also featured an open division with pairs competing in pool play and pairings able to be switched around between matches. Tulane was an even 4-4 in its open division matches today against the programs of Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Mercer, and UAB.
Beach Volleyball Accomplished a Lot
“Proud of our entire squad for battling hard all weekend in Huntsville!” said head coach Eyal Zimet. “Rain, shine, cold, hot, and wind kept the challenge levels high on top of the competition. We loved the abundant growth opportunities afforded to us on the sand. We learned a great deal about ourselves, and our student-athletes earned our second bid to the AVCA Pairs National Championship! We are blessed with the next couple weeks of practice before the championship to keep pushing the envelope. Lots to be proud of, plenty to work on, and a ton to look forward to. Roll Wave!”
Each program is eligible to earn a maximum of two bids to the 2025 AVCA Pairs National Championship. Tulane entered this weekend already owning one bid due to last season’s success, and the runner-up performance by Hansen and Morris notched the Wave its second possible bid. The AVCA Pairs National Championship takes place in two weeks from November 7 to 9 back in Huntsville, and Tulane will be represented by two pairs yet to be determined.
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.