A beautiful, sunny weekend in central Florida set the perfect scene for Concordia beach volleyball to wrap up their winning season and bring home some hardware. The Golden Eagles returned as No.2 in the Division II nation after competing in the AVCA Small College Championship in Tavares, Florida.

With a regular season schedule independent from a conference, the Golden Eagles face exciting matchups to prepare for the national championship. Competing against the nation’s top Division I NCAA teams like USC, LMU, Cal and Long Beach, the sandy birds train all season to leave everything on the sand at Florida nationals.

During the humid three day competition, the sandy birds took care of business the first two days, heading into the semi-finals with a spotless 4-0 record and no individual pair losses. In the semi-finals, the Golden Eagles took down Saint Leo 3-1. 

Earning a spot in the championships game, the one seed pair clinched the overall win during a nail-biting three set game into extra points by Kali Uhl and Kelissa Lemoine.

Facing Tampa in the championship, the Golden Eagles fell short by a matter of points, with a final dual of 3-2. Concordia has climbed the ranks in the last three years finishing a consecutive fourth, third and now second place.

After the tournament, the one seed of Uhl and Lemoine received the well-deserved honor of being named All-Americans. A graduate student from University of Arizona, Uhl said, “I’m going to miss the team culture and program here at Concordia, it was the closest team I have ever been on and I will miss being beside these girls everyday.”

Senior and team captain, Sara Ostojic said, “Our goal for Florida was to play in freedom and for each other. We are not individuals but rather one unit playing for something bigger than ourselves.” Playing a crucial role in the sand over the last four years, Ostojic will be returning for her fifth year while she works toward her graduate degree.

“I think our team found so much success this year because we always put the team first,” said Uhl. “Our team demonstrates a servant leadership that buys into our culture of honor and sets us apart from our competition,” said Ostojic.

Freshman stud Korah Nordin said, “Keeping our minds set on the big picture has eliminated selfishness, jealousy and tension between each other. This creates a supportive environment where we play for each other, not ourselves.”

Finishing the season with a 24-12 record, this team has put in the work on the sand and in creating an unbreakable culture. “Everyone holds each other accountable and works hard, but what really stands out is how much everyone genuinely cares about each other,” said Nordin. Saying a fond goodbye to seven graduating seniors, the sandy birds will look toward the fall, welcoming a brigade of freshmen and transfers to the beach family. Follow @cuibeach on instagram to look out for and welcome the new recruits!

Tags: volleyball, Women's Chorus

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