YOUNGSVILLE, La. – The HCU beach program improved its current win streak to nine with four wins at the Southeastern Sugar Beach Slam on Friday and Saturday at Sugar Beach at the Youngsville Sports Complex.
On day one, the Huskies (11-6) started with a 3-2 win over North Alabama (9-7) before taking down ULM (13-1). Against the Lions,
Mary Alper and
Kylann Griffith picked up the team's first point with a three-set win (15-21, 21-14, 15-7) win at the fives. No. 2 pair
Kristen Kleymeyer and
Lindsay Harris also won in three sets (17-21, 21-17, 15-12) for point number two while
Abbey Bufkin and
Abbey Reinard won the deciding point in three sets (17-21, 21-19, 15-8) at the threes.
In the dual vs. ULM, Alper and Griffith again picked up a point at the No. 5 pair, winning in three (21-19, 21-23, 15-11).
Maddie Butters and
Alison Stanfill won in two sets (21-19, 21-18) at the ones followed by Bufkin and Reinard earning the deciding point in two sets (21-12, 21-14) as the No. 3 pair. Kleymeyer and Harris, at the twos, won in three (14-21, 21-12, 17-15).
On Saturday, HCU began the day with a 5-0 win over UTEP (3-10). All five Huskies' pairs won in two sets with
Gabi Axelrod and
Paige Palmer winning as the No. 4 pair (21-13, 21-12). Alper and Griffith won at the fives (21-16, 21-13), Butters and Stanfill at the ones (21-15, 21-17), Kleymeyer and Harris at the twos (21-15, 21-16) the Bufkin/Reinard duo at the threes (21-18, 21-10).
The Huskies wrapped things up with a 4-1 win over Spring Hill (11-5). Alper and Griffth won in two (21-16, 21-17) at the No. 5 spot with Bufkin and Reinard also earning a two-set win (21-16, 21-11) at the threes. The HCU No. 1 pair of Butters and Stanfill earned the third point for the Huskies in three sets (18-21, 21-12, 15-9) while Kleymeyer and Harris ended the dual with a win (20-22, 21-14, 15-12) at the twos.
The HCU No. 1 pair, Butters/Stanfill, has won nine of its last 10 matches while Alper and Griffith have won five-in-a-row and seven of their last eight.
The Huskies travel to Columbia, S.C. next weekend for the South Carolina Gamecock Grand Slam for duals against South Carolina, Tampa, Arizona State and Georgia State.
