Women’s beach volleyball finds success in first tournament under new head coach

Saturday, October 5

Lynchburg, VA

TBD

Liberty University Club Sports

Wingate University

The Lady Flames opened their fall competition at the Campus East Beach Courts on Saturday.

Women’s beach volleyball finds success in first tournament under new head coach

10/9/2024 12:21:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

The Lady Flames earned two first-place finishes in last weekend's home competition

Liberty University's women's beach volleyball program opened Fall 2024 competition with a strong showing at the Campus East Beach Courts on Saturday in the Lady Flames' first of two intercollegiate scrimmages of the semester.

The field of competition, divided into four pools of five or six pairs, also included players from NCAA DIII University of Lynchburg, Sandhills Community College, a JUCO school, and NCAA DII Wingate University.

The Lady Flames, led by first-year Head Coach Payton Carter, recorded two first-place finishes and ended the day with at least one pairing competing in all four pools' championship matches.

Liberty's squad was headlined by sophomore tournament champions Eliza Griffin and Ava Pilar Suarez, who finished 4-1, besting Lady Flames graduate Gracie Hall and senior Sydney Whitfield in the final; and sophomores Ava Ewald and Kate Richards, who went 5-1, defeating a tandem from Wingate University (21-17). Lady Flames duos of seniors Grace Cropper and Brooke Elliot, who went 3-2, and sophomore Kinley Phillips and junior Gabrielle Olson, who went 4-2, also recorded runner-up finishes in their respective pools.

While fall scrimmages have no impact on the team's standings entering the 2025 campaign, Carter said that this added competition in the offseason allows the Lady Flames to grow as a team and establish pairings for the spring.

"Scrimmaging yourself is important. We get to get a lot of touches in practice, but there is not a lot of new things (to learn)," she said. "You can only play yourself so many times before you learn exactly what your teammates are going to do on the other side of the net. So, being able to play other schools and other types of players was a cool thing to see because we stacked up so well against them."

Carter noted that incoming players often have never before played beach volleyball competitively and can use the opportunity to better learn match tactics.

"The players really enjoyed it as well," she added. "They were able to communicate differently than they have at practice, and it was a testing of their IQs. They proved how much they've learned about the game."

In addition to hosting this past tournament on its home sand, the team plans to travel to St. Petersburg, Fla., for a tournament at Eckerd College on Oct. 25. By playing at home and on the road, Carter hopes to prepare the Lady Flames for any challenge the spring may hold.

Outside of practices, Liberty's players have prioritized fellowship, including doing weekly Bible studies and eating regular meals together. Carter said this familial bond translates well into the team's success on the courts.

"The goal is to get better every day," she said. "Some days are better than others, obviously, but being able to ask coaches questions and raise the level of your play is important. The players have to want to get better. I think this team is so competitive and so all-in for each other and glorifying the Lord through volleyball that they want to get better and use their talents for the Lord's glory, so they're willing to do whatever it takes."

The Lady Flames, who sport a squad of 18 girls with one additional practice player, will open the 2025 season on Feb. 15 at St. Andrews (N.C.) University, an NAIA program.

By Christian Shields/Staff Writer; Videos edited by Cody Ware/Club Sports Video & Media Assistant