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EMERSON, Ga. - On the opening day of the inaugural 2016 Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Beach Volleyball Championship, the two top seeds, Florida State and Georgia State, went undefeated to take control of their pools. 

The Seminoles earned a hard fought victory in the opening match of the CCSA Championship when they defeated LSU by the score of 3-2. After posting straight-set victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 pairs, LSU battled back to tie the match with wins at No. 4 and 5. The match came down to the No. 3 pairs and went into a third set. The duo of Sierra Sanches and Vanessa Freire secured the final point with a 16-14 win in the final set.

In FSU's second match of the day, the Seminoles secured a 5-0 sweep over South Carolina. CCSA Pair of the Year, Julie Brown and Jace Pardon, set the tone as they won 21-11 and 21-9 in their match. The Seminoles did not drop a set to the Gamecocks on their way to the victory. Florida State has secured a spot in the bracket portion of the Championship and will confirm a bye into the semifinals with a win tomorrow in the final match of pool play against UAB.

LSU bounced back from its tough defeat against Florida State with a 5-0 victory over UAB in its second match. Cati Leak and Callan Molle began the second match with a 21-10, 21-7 win at the No. 3 pairing. Cheyenne Wood and Megan Davenport quickly followed suit with a straight-set win, while the No. 1 pairing of Katie Lindelow and Ashley Allmer secured the third point and the victory in straight-sets. Helen Boyle and Lilly Kessler made it a clean sweep with a comeback win, 15-13 in the third and final set. 

In Group 2, Georgia State took control with back-to-back 3-2 victories over Florida International and Florida Atlantic. All-Conference selections Nina Interwies and Kate Rawls went 2-0 on the day with two straight-set wins for the Panthers. The opening match came down to the No. 1 pairing of Jansen Button and Sara Olivova. The duo battled back from a set down to force a third set. A late rally in the third gave Georgia State the 15-13 victory and the match 3-2. 

In the second match, the Panthers and Owls were tied 2-2 with all eyes on the No. 4 pairing of Brooke Weiner and Natalie Wilson. The pair earned a hard fought 21-19 win in the opening set and put the game away with a 21-14 win in the second set. Alexis Townsend and Chloe Cook were the other pair to secure a point as Georgia State moved to 2-0 in pool play. They advanced to bracket play already and can confirm a bye into the semifinals with a win in tomorrow's pool finale against Tulane.

Florida International and Florida Atlantic are tied for second place in Group 2 with identical 1-1 records and 5-5 pair scores. The two sides will play in the final match of group play. Tulane sits in the third place after dropping both its matches today. The Green Wave will need a victory tomorrow against Georgia State to have any chance of advancing.