Previewing the 2024 UAB Beach Volleyball Season

Previewing the 2024 UAB Beach Volleyball Season

2/19/2024 11:21:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball

BIRMINGHAM – Coming off a program record 18 wins in 2023, expectations are at an all-time high for the UAB beach volleyball team entering the 2024 season.

Delaney Clesen enters her first season as head coach and her second overall at UAB. Clesen served as the assistant coach last year and was promoted to head coach in August of 2023. She is joined by former Blazer Dylynn Otte who is in her first season as the assistant coach.

Clesen has a strong team coming back as UAB's top three blockers in Arden Copping, Brooke Pertuit and Jessica Ennis return for their senior seasons, along with defender and reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year Jasmine Haas.

Haas and Copping will lead the Blazers on Court 1 as both were First Team All-Conference USA selections a year ago. These two partnered together down the stretch of the season and played to record of 10-6 on Court 1. Haas had 20 wins overall, which was a freshman school record, and she was just the fifth player in school history to have 20 wins in a season.

In her first year with the Blazers in 2023, Pertuit tied the single season school record with 22 individual wins. Pertuit was 10-8 on Court 1 and 12-4 on Court 2. She will be partnered with freshman Madeline Sigmon who has high expectations for a freshman and competed with Pertuit in the NCAA Pairs Nationals last fall.

Ennis had 18 wins last year and split time between courts three and four. Her most memorable moment came in the Conference USA Tournament when she clinched the match on Court 3 in UAB's upset win over No. 12 FIU. Ennis is also paired with a freshman this year, Isabel Day, who is also looking to make significant contributions in her rookie season.

Both Olivia Chychrun and Olivia Stant return for their sophomore seasons after strong campaigns as freshmen on Court 5 together in which they won 12 matches together. Additionally, junior Ali O'Donnell brings a veteran presence and looks to compete at the back of UAB's lineup. Chychrun and Stant could pair together again but have also been playing with new partners as UAB's talented freshman class will be featured throughout the entire lineup.

Addison Atkins, Dixie Farish, Sadie Sharpe and Ashley Torsone comprise the remaining true freshmen, while midyear additions Lauren Cairo (Statson) and Lauren Mohler (North Florida) also have four years of eligibility remaining. Grad transfer Azmabeth Infante (FIU) rounds out UAB's roster and is in her one and only year with the Blazers.

The Schedule:

UAB opens the season this Saturday in Phoenix with four matches at the GCU Tournament. The Blazers have an opportunity for a marquee win off the bat as Grand Canyon enters the season ranked No. 14.

The Blazers then return to Birmingham for the first of two home tournaments in which UAB will host four schools at the UAB Beach Classic, highlighted by No. 11 Florida Atlantic.

A tournament at No. 4 TCU follows the UAB Beach Classic and then a trip to Youngsville, Louisiana, for the Sugar Beach Bash. UAB then heads to North Florida and Florida State in back-to-back weeks before returning home on April 13-14 for the Blazer Beach Bash.

UAB will travel to North Alabama and then Tulane to conclude the regular season and will return to Youngsville, Louisiana, for the Conference USA Tournament which is scheduled for April 25-27.

The Blazers are once again the tournament host for the NCAA National Championship which is scheduled for May 1-5 in Gulf Shores, Ala. Tickets for the National Championship are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here.

For more information on the UAB beach volleyball team, be sure to follow @UAB_BVB on Twitter and Instagram.