Lady Flames fly to California to challenge trio of NCAA DI beach volleyball teams

Friday, March 24

Richmond, KY

12:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

Eastern Kentucky University

Lady Flames fly to California to challenge trio of NCAA DI beach volleyball teams

4/5/2023 3:06:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

Members of Liberty University's women's beach volleyball team boarded a bus around midnight on Tuesday to begin the first leg of their trip to California, where they will challenge at least three NCAA Division I programs over Easter Weekend.

After practicing on the same courts as host UC-Davis on Thursday the Lady Flames will challenge Boise State University on Good Friday at 5 p.m. (EST) followed by the host University of California-Davis at 7 p.m. (EST) before playing Sacramento State on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST.

Temperatures will actually be colder in California than Liberty's players have experienced over the past month in South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The Lady Flames have struggled of late, dropping eight consecutive team duals to NCAA Division I and DII opponents to fall to 3-13 for the spring semester.

They were swept by the University of Tennessee Martin and host UT Chattanooga this past Saturday in windy conditions after being swept by host Eastern Kentucky and dropping a 3-2 decision to Christopher Newport on Friday. Previously, the Lady Flames dropped 3-2 matches to Austin Peay and Tusculum and were swept by Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay on March 24-25 in Richmond, Ky.

"The teams we've been playing up to this point are all quality programs," Liberty Head Coach Jess Nelson said. "Each weekend, I'm seeing growth in our pairs with better decision making and court vision. As a club team out here competing with NCAA DI and DII teams, we are hungry for a different outcome, staying focused on the opportunity in front of us."

Senior Kaitlyn Holbrook and junior Lizzy Armstrong put up a good battle against UT Chattanooga, winning the first game before dropping the next two.

"They started with a strong performance and did a great job of executing their system in the first set," Nelson said. "They battled through a second set, and lost control of the game in the third set. The wind affected our ability to execute an offense, and we didn't have enough momentum to regain control."

She said freshman Grace Cropper and junior Syd Metzker also gained momentum and challenged their opponents early before falling in straight sets. They had recorded one of two three-game wins against CNU on Friday and moved up from the No. 3 to the No. 2 seed for Saturday's matches.

"They're working to find their confidence in these last few weeks," Nelson said. "When they are in-system and effectively communicating, they compete at a high level."

Saturday, April 1 results

UT Martin 5, Liberty 0