BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The HCU beach volleyball team is set for its final tournament of the 2026 regular season this Friday and Saturday when they Huskies play four matches at the UAB Blazer Beach Bash.
HCU (6-19) won a pair of duals this past Tuesday, Apr. 7, on Senior Day at Third Coast Volleyball Club, defeating Mary Hardin-Baylor and Concordia (TX) in dominant fashion. The Huskies won both matches, 5-0, with just one flight reaching a third set.
Senior
Paige Palmer has a team-high nine wins as an individual this season, posting a 7-9 record when paired with
Grace Melnick and playing primarily on Court 2. Palmer now has 39 career wins, placing her just four wins shy of joining the program's top-10 all-time wins leaders.
The Huskies' first opponent of the weekend, Tulane (16-10), is a familiar one with the two teams already meeting twice this season. The Green Wave defeated the Huskies, 5-0, last weekend at the Longhorn Showdown. Tulane has won 10 of its last 13 duals while the duo of Amirah Ali and Tawny Ensign has won nine of 10 on Court 3.
HCU will then face Mercer (4-20) for the first time ever. The Bears have lost eight-straight duals, going 0-4 last weekend at the Georgia State Diggin' Duals. Sophomore Kristi Talocka leads the Bears with eight individual wins on the season on Courts 1 and 2 while Grace Rathburn and Jordyn Thomas-Warren each have seven victories.
ULM (5-18) comes into the tournament on a nine-match losing streak, most recently dropping four duals in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Warhawks' most recent win was a 3-2 victory over Spring Hill College on Mar. 21. The Huskies own a 10-2 all-time record against ULM and have won the last eight meetings.
The host Blazers (20-9) have won 10-straight duals, including sweeping through the Georgia State Diggin' Duals last weekend. UAB boasts two pairs with 22-7 records this season. Jasmine Haas and Olivia Stant are 22-7 on Court 1 this year and have won nine in-a-row while Olivia Chychrun and Ava Grace Knott own a 22-7 record playing across Courts 3, 4 and 5.
HCU faces Tulane at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Apr. 10, before taking on the Bears at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, Apr. 11, the Huskies will play ULM at 8:00 a.m. before finishing up against UAB at 12:00 p.m.
The Southland Conference Championships follow for the Huskies beginning on Wednesday, Apr. 22, in Corpus Christi, Texas with HCU opening the tournament as the No. 4 seed against No. 5 seed New Orleans.
