Bulldogs Successful in Beach Volleyball Tournament

CHARLESTON, S.C. A few hundred people gathered around the Windjammer in Isle of Palms on Sunday to be a part of the second annual Charleston Beach Volleyball Tournament. Joining The Citadel in the competition were College of Charleston, Elon, Georgia Southern, UNC Greensboro and Wofford.

The Citadel put on an outstanding performance in their first beach volleyball tournament, finishing with a 9-6 record. All three teams started off strong, winning their opening-round matches. Blaine McAllister and Tatum Jestila led the Bulldogs with a fourth place finish after concluding the tournament with a 6-2 record.

“Some of our girls have played outdoor sand doubles before and some have not,” said head coach Carolyn Geiger. “We’ve been practicing for about two weeks to prepare for this tournament. The jitters worked themselves out in the first match and each of our teams won their first round matchups.”

Shannon Frain and Amanda Beal teamed up to finish with a 1-2 record after being eliminated by a pair of Wofford Terriers. Jessica Maas and Alyssa Holum recorded a 2-2 record after dropping a hard fought match to one of Georgia Southern’s power duos, which gave them their second loss.

“Overall, I was very pleased with their performance in their first outdoor tournament,” added Geiger. “Our team record was 9-6, which I am proud of. It’s a huge adjustment going from indoors to outdoors. The strong wind played a major factor and affected our ball control, but I thought they did a good job compensating for the wind and adjusting to it. I look forward to participating in this tournament again next year.”

With high winds and an overcast sky, the weather cooperated nicely for the all day affair. All 25 teams had the opportunity to play at least two matches as the tournament was double elimination. Each school put together teams of two or three players to compete against each other.

For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.