Beach Volleyball Wins Back-to-Back Championship

Photo courtsey of Huntsville Sports Commission

The Lady Panthers Beach Volleyball team won the 2024 NJCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship on Saturday May 4th.  The championship is the 2nd straight for the Lady Panthers, who have claimed both of the NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championships since it became a championship sport in the 2023 season. 

The National Championship caps another season of winning every championship possible.  The Lady Panthers won the FCSAA/Region 8 Championship earlier this season, where they also had the Region 8 Player of the Year, Pair of the Year, and Coach of the Year.  The 2024 championship was another dominant display from the Lady Panthers, very reminiscent of their 2023 championship.  The Lady Panthers opened up pool play on Thursday May 2nd and swept Gaston College and Mesa Community College.  Friday May 3rd was another day of pool play, and another day for the Lady Panthers to go 2-0, this time defeating Bryant & Stratton (WI) and Sandhills Community College.  With their sweep on Friday, the Lady Panthers earned the #1 seed going into the championship bracket, which took place on Saturday.  The Lady Panthers faced a familiar foe in the semi-finals, as they battled fellow Region 8 school Lake-Sumter State College.  A 3-0 decision versus the Lakehawks set up a championship final against Richard Bland College, out of Petersburg, VA.  The Lady Panthers were able to get the 3 pair victories they needed to clinch the National Championship as #1 pair Ana Paula Fallas Cruz/Zuzanna Michalska, #2 pair Marilyn Cesaro/Sophia Soderberg, and #3 pair Aleksandra Hamuda/Patrycja Kabala were able to clinch it for the Panthers.

Ana Paula Fallas Cruz and Zuzanna Michalska were named Pair of the Tournament.  Head Coach Drew Colvin was named Coach of the Tournament.