HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Stevenson Men's Beach Volleyball faced Webber International University twice today to round out the first-ever AVCA Men's Collegiate Beach Team Championships in Alabama. At the conclusion of the tournament, the Mustangs earned fourth place.
In the first match against Webber this morning, it came down to the final match to determine who would earn the higher seed. Tim Flanagan and John Ferraro beat Webber's first pair of Dallas Hitchins and Thoralf Schmelzer while third pair Jack Braverman and Aidan O'Brien defeated Josh Corr and Trent Massey 21-16 and 21-18 to give the Mustangs two wins. At the same time, Webber won their fourth and fifth pair matches, putting the fate of the match on the second pair's matchup. Anthony Pezzino and Ryan Thenell fought hard, but ultimately fell in two sets.
The pairs of Kevin Kouchoukos and Tanner Laukhuff and Doug Hines and Jay Hyman both fell in two-set matches by five points or less in each.
In the bronze medal match, Stevenson drew Webber once more. Flanagan and Ferraro would claim the last set victory of the season for the Mustangs, downing Hitchins and Schmelzer once more 21-18 and 21-19. Braverman and O'Brien went to extra points in both sets, but Corr and Massey bounced back for wins of 23-21 and 22-20.
Hines and Hyman came back in their second set against Maldonado and Ward to win 19-21 before Webber pulled ahead in the third. Kouchoukos, Laukhuff, Pezzino, and Thenell played to close sets in their two matches yet again, with Webber winning by no more than five points.
The Mustangs finish the season with a program-high 11 wins and an undefeated record at home.
