TAVARES, Fla. (April 8, 2018) – After winning both of its matches in pool play at the inaugural American Volleyball Coaches' Association Small College Beach Championship at Hickory Point Beach the previous day to earn the No. 1 seed in the seven-team single-elimination bracket, the Webber International University beach volleyball team rallied together to claim its second Small College National Championship in as many seasons. The Warriors took down Huntingdon College for the third time in three days, this time by a score of 5-0 in the tournament semifinals, and then defeated Stevenson University 4-1 in the championship match.

It was the second straight national title for Webber beach volleyball as the Warriors won the 2017 Rox Small College National Championship at Fiesta on Siesta a year ago.

For the 2018 national championship, 15 teams spanning NCAA Divisions II and III, the NAIA, and the CCCAA (California Community College Athletic Association) competed in pool play in order to set the bracket for Sunday's championship playoffs. Additionally, the 15 teams were divided into two groups wherein the NCAA DII schools competed for one championship and the DIII, NAIA and CCCAA schools battled it out for the other, with Webber winning it all in the DIII/NAIA/CCCAA division.

Similarly to last year's title run, the Warriors did not drop a match as they earned two sweeps, beat Huntington for the second and third times in as many days, and then finished it all off with a little bit of payback against a Stevenson squad that bested Webber in a close 3-2 decision in Babson Park, Florida, back on March 15 earlier in the year.

In the national championship match against Stevenson (2 p.m. on Sunday, April 8) , Carlee Baxter and Amber Lake earned a hard fought point in the No. 1 spot to get things started off on a strong note for the Warriors. The duo won both of their sets by a score of 21-19 to put Webber ahead one point to zero.

The next two matches to finish were also both victories for the Warriors as the No. 3 and No. 5 duos of Laura Embry and Salla Rautiainen and Teryn Mills and Jessica Terry had a much easier route to victory. Embry and Rautiainen won 21-13, 21-11 in the No. 3 position before Mills and Terry won 21-15, 21-13 in the five hole to close out a huge win that clinched the match with a 3-0 lead.

Kaxandra Naranjo and Molly Fusarelli then fell in three sets (19-21, 21-16, 11-15) in the No. 4 position before the No. 2 team of Emily Bowen and Hannah Tannone came up in the clutch to earn another point for the Warriors, dropping the first set 18-21 but bouncing back in the second for a heart stopping 28-26 win and an easier 15-5 win in the deciding set.

Head Coach Julianne Dougherty-Calcote said, "I knew this weekend would be a complete team effort, and this group of girls definitely rose to the occasion. Our five seed [Mills and Terry] came up really clutch for us all weekend, but more importantly in the finals. They battled it out and played some great volleyball."

In the national semifinal against Huntingdon on Sunday morning (11 a.m.), Mills and Terry won 19-21, 21-16, 19-17; Fusarelli and Naranjo won 21-15, 21-10; Embry and Rautiainen won 21-14, 21-9; Bowen and Tannone won 21-8, 21-14; and Baxter and Lake earned a 21-10, 21-16 victory.

In all, each of Webber's top three duos went undefeated at nationals, led by the sophomore duo of Baxter and Lake. Also not dropping a match on the weekend was the freshman-sophomore combination of Bowen and Tannone and another freshman-sophomore grouping of Rautiainen and Embry. The senior-freshman tandem of Naranjo and Fusarelli went 3-1, as did the junior-freshman team of Mills and Terry.

"This group of girls worked extremely hard and their hard work showed in their success," added Dougherty-Calcote. "I am incredibly thankful for this team and what we were able to achieve this weekend. Bringing home the title two years in a row is an exciting accomplishment for Webber volleyball, and I am extremely proud to be their coach."

Congratulations to Head Coach Julianne Dougherty-Calcote and the 2018 Webber International University beach volleyball team on winning the 2018 AVCA Small College Beach Championship.