Follow @CCSA_Beach
(Courtesy of seminoles.com)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State's Julie Brown and Jace Pardon were recognized as Beach Volleyball All-Americans as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Wednesday.
Playing as FSU's number one pairs' team all season long, Brown and Pardon led the Seminoles to the inaugural NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship and a national runner-up finish in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Seminole duo finished the season with a 28-5 dual-match record posting victories over 16 ranked teams including nine schools that ranked in the top 10. At one stretch during the season, Brown and Pardon recorded 15 straight match victories.
"This is huge for our program," Florida State head coach Brooke Niles said. "From a recruiting stand point, it shows that we have some really good players that want to come and compete and succeed at Florida State. These recruits know that they will be coached well and will play for a top program that will compete at the highest level and produce All-Americans. It means a lot that Florida State is well respected in the beach volleyball community which is only a sign of things to come."
Brown and Pardon were also the catalyst for FSU's successful run during its first season in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) which culminated in the Seminoles claiming the inaugural conference title. The pair went 12-0 against CCSA competition including a perfect 5-0 at the CCSA Conference Tournament. For their efforts, Brown and Pardon were named the CCSA Pair of the Year, garnered a spot on the CCSA All-Conference First Team and named to the CCSA Academic All-Conference Team. At the conference championship, the Seminole duo walked away with Pair MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team.
The award for Pardon is her third All-America honor as she was also recognized by the AVCA in 2013 & 2014. The Manhattan Beach, Calif., native is the only three-time Beach All-American in school history and joins Southern California's Sara Hughes (2014, 2015 & 2016) and former FSU and Hawaii standout Brittany Tiegs (2012 – FSU, 2014 & 2015) as the only student-athletes to earn AVCA Beach All-America honors three times in the history of the award.
"Jace was a huge gift to our team in that she was able to come back for a fifth year after suffering an injury last year," added Niles. "The fact that she is competing with the best players at the No. 1 spot at each school and that she was recognized as one of the best players in the country is a huge honor. We know she deserves it. She has worked so hard and we are so proud of her."
To read the full article click here.
Four other CCSA Beach Volleyball student-athletes were honored as AVCA Beach All-American Honorable Mentions. Florida Atlantic's Gabreille Dischler and Delaney Clesen were joined by Georgia State's No. 1 pair, Jansen Button and Sara Olivova. Dischler and Clesen become the first FAU pair to earn AVCA Honorable Mention honors in the program's history following 18 dual match victories.
Button and Olivova added honorable mention honors to their fantastic season that saw them win 25 matches and lead the Georgia State team to a berth in the first-ever NCAA National Beach Volleyball Championship. The pair was also named to the CCSA All-Conference team during this inaugural season.
AVCA BEACH VOLLEYBALL ALL-AMERICANS
|
Name |
Institution |
Year |
Height |
Hometown |
|
Madison Witt |
University of Arizona |
Jr. |
6'0 |
Glendale, Ariz. |
|
McKenna Witt |
University of Arizona |
Jr. |
5'11 |
Glendale, Ariz. |
|
Jace Pardon*** |
Florida State University |
RS-Sr. |
5'10 |
Manhattan Beach, Calif. |
|
Julie Brown |
Florida State University |
Sr. |
6'0 |
Oviedo, Fla. |
|
Mackenzie Phelps** |
Grand Canyon University |
Sr. |
5'10 |
Prescott, Ariz. |
|
Shannon Dugan** |
Grand Canyon University |
Sr. |
5'11 |
Gardnerville, Nev. |
|
Megan McNamara |
UCLA |
Fr. |
5'9 |
Vancouver, BC, Canada |
|
Nicole McNamara |
UCLA |
Fr. |
5'9 |
Vancouver, BC, Canada |
|
Kelly Claes** |
University of Southern California |
Jr. |
6'2 |
Fullerton, Calif. |
|
Sara Hughes*** |
University of Southern California |
Jr. |
5'10 |
Costa Mesa, Calif. |
|
Katie Spieler** |
University of Hawai'i |
Sr. |
5'5 |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
|
Emily Maglio |
University of Hawai'i |
RS-Fr. |
6'3 |
Coquitlam, BC, Canada |
|
Heidi Dyer |
Pepperdine University |
Fr. |
6'2 |
San Clemente, Calif. |
|
Taylor Racich |
Pepperdine University |
Sr. |
6'1 |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
|
Vendy Strakova |
Stetson University |
Gr. |
6'0 |
Brno, Czech Relublic |
|
Sara Putt |
Stetson University |
Fr. |
5'10 |
Jupiter, Fla. |
*PREVIOUS YEAR'S WINNER
AVCA BEACH HONORABLE MENTION
|
Name |
Institution |
Year |
Height |
Hometown |
|
Gabrielle Dischler |
Florida Atlantic University |
So. |
5'9 |
Naples, Fla. |
|
Delaney Clesen |
Florida Atlantic University |
Gr. |
5'8 |
Evanston, Ill. |
|
Jansen Button |
Georgia State University |
Sr. |
5'7 |
Menifee, Calif. |
|
Sara Olivova |
Georgia State University |
Sr. |
5'11 |
Franklin, Mich. |