Liberty's No. 2 tandem of Mason Ellenberger (left) and Zach Lamoureux won their final match against Stevenson on Sunday. (Photos by Brooke McDuffee)
Beach volleyball opens season by hosting AVCA Men’s Alliance Fall Tournament
9/12/2023 9:59:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
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A young Liberty men’s beach volleyball lineup hit the sand for the first time in this past weekend's event against Erskine, Webber, and Stevenson.
A relatively new and inexperienced Liberty University men's beach volleyball lineup hit the sand for the first time in this past weekend's AVCA Men's Alliance Fall Tournament. The Flames endured high temperatures and thunderstorms over the three days of action on the East Campus courts while losing all four showdowns with Erskine (S.C.) College, Stevenson (Md.) University, and Webber (Fla.) University.
"The competition was great," Liberty Head Coach Josh Knapp said. "We didn't end up winning any matches, but had some good looks for our first week being in the sand. All the teams were very competitive with each other and all of our guys looked solid. They got to be pressured and see a very high level of volleyball, so it was a very good experience."
Liberty played its most competitive match against Erskine on Friday, a 3-2 setback in which the Flames lost two duals that Knapp said they were very capable of winning. That included the No. 2 tandem of senior Mason Ellenberger and sophomore Zach Lamoureux's 21-16, 19-21, 15-17 loss at the hands of the Fleet's Cristo Rojo and Luke Ward. Head Coach Josh Knapp with the No. 2 duo of Mason Ellenberger and Zach Lamoureux
The Flames' top tandem of sophomores Josh Culpepper and Colten Fitzgerald dominated Erskine's Anthony Rizzitello and Jordan Stoll, 21-10, 21-15. Liberty scored its other win in a three-game dual at No. 5, with junior Jayden Rice and freshman Timmy Gibas edging Noah Van Wieren and Matthew Richmond. In an exhibition match at No. 6, the Flames' freshman tandem of John Kinzler and Grady Keyser swept Zane Hopkins and Brayson Jones, 21-11, 21-12.
Liberty was swept in all five of its best-of three matches against both Webber and Stevenson on Saturday before Ellenberger and Lamoureux pulled out a 21-12, 16-12, 22-20 win at No. 2 doubles in Sunday's rematch with Stevenson, a 4-1 team loss.
"Stevenson and Webber had some great pairs within their team and pressured our guys a lot," Knapp said. "Webber is one of the top teams out there, and our biggest competition. We are looking forward to seeing them again throughout the season."
Despite the setbacks, Knapp witnessed significant growth from his players over the weekend.
"Our pairs started to look a lot better throughout the tournament," he said. "By Saturday, I saw a lot of improvement, especially from our top two pairs, Colt and Josh and Zach and Mason, who both started to have better connections throughout the day."
He said freshman Anthony Bernardo will be playing with a different partner moving forward as his former high school teammate, freshman Lane Bergey, has left the team. The Flames' No. 4 tandem of Junior Bryce Weenink and freshman Jackson Stough as well as the No. 5 pairing of Rice and Gibas showed plenty of raw talent and potential. The weekend's tournament was the collegiate beach volleyball debut for some.
"Our bottom pairs are very new at beach, but they put up some great stuff, showing the work they have put in in the preseason," Knapp said. "I am excited to see their growth through the beach season as well as how it translates over to the indoor season with the touches and control and the experience that they will gain."
He said playing beach volleyball is a terrific training tool for the Flames as they prepare for the indoor season, which begins in October with the first two of four fall tournaments at Virginia Tech on Oct. 7 and at home on Oct. 21.
"It's great for them to see the different styles of play and different high-level opponents that they are not able to see throughout the indoor season," Knapp said, noting that players practice twice per week for indoor and three times in the sand throughout the fall. "It's a really good look for the new guys to get a lot of touches on the ball. Having the beach season for training will really benefit them in the long run."
This weekend, the Flames top two tandems will travel to Stevenson for the USAV Collegiate Challenge, an open tournament that will feature a variety of schools from various divisions, including some NCAA programs. Liberty will host and compete in the Virginia Commonwealth Games beach volleyball tournament on Sept. 23 before returning to Stevenson for a duals tournament on Oct. 15.
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterLiberty sophomore Josh Culpepper sets up No. 1 teammate Colten Fitzgerald for a kill.
