GULF SHORES, Ala. -- ULM sand volleyball duo Tetiana Sukach and Zuzana Markova won their first round bout over UCLA's top flight Meg Norton and Kelly Reeves in the pairs portion of AVCA Sand Volleyball National Championship before falling to eventual champs Kirby Burnham and Stevi Robinson of USC.
The eighth-seeded Warhawk tandem edged their ninth-seeded Bruin counterparts 21-18, 21-17 to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the round of eight, Sukach and Markova drew a rematch with USC's top flight Burnham and Robinson, who were the top seed in the pairs championship.
The Warhawk pair threw the Women of Troy all they could handle. Both squads traded a pair of 21-19 sets to force a third set tiebreak. In the final stanza, Burnham and Robinson edged Markova and Sukach, 15-11. ULM's top duo ends the year at 17-8.
The USC tandem went on to win the pairs national championship, preventing Long Beach State from sweeping both the team and pairs titles.
