Gaston College beach volleyball sets history in 2022 fall opener

Gaston College's beach volleyball program set history in Sunday's tournament hosted by NCAA Division I school Liberty.

Competing against Liberty, defending NCAA Division III national champion Stevenson and NCAA Division III school University of Lynchburg, coach Rachel Noreika's Rhinos recorded the program's first individual victories and the teams of Emma Downey and Cristina Rotola and Bianca Bowland and Elizabeth Jones posted wins.

"We had such a great day and it couldn't have been a better first competition for the team," Noreika said. "All five pairs competed closely, and while three of the five pairs didn't post any wins on the day, they all played really well and were in every single game. I'm proud of how each player progressed throughout the day and how the team is progressing overall."

Here's a look at how each of the five pairs did in Sunday's matches:

Pair 1 (Emma Downey and Cristina Rotola) 2-4 record

Pair 2 (Naomi Hilliard and Millea Styles) 0-5 record

Pair 3 (Bianca Bowland and Elizabeth Jones) 1-4 record

Pair 4 (Lacey Green and Carli Phillips) 0-5 record

Pair 5 (Junette Pierre and Leilani Nolasco) 0-5 record

Gaston College's next competition will conclude the fall schedule as the Rhinos will compete at Erskine College on Saturday, November 5.