11-22-2024 12:00pm

MUSTANGS WIN

Men’s Beach Volleyball claims national title with 3-2 win over Webber

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Stevenson Men's Beach Volleyball made history this week by defeating Webber for the first time in program history to earn their first national championship title.

The Mustangs first had to defeat third-seeded Erskine, which they accomplished in an easy 4-1 outing.

At the twos, John Ferraro and Tim Flanagan defeated Allen Faison and Osiel Thompson 21-14 and 21-13.

The third flight of Anthony Pezzino and Ryan Thenell downed Peyton Brown and Luke Ward 21-18 and 15-10 after falling 21-15 in the second set.

Fours Adam DeRubertis and JD Sarmuksnis earned 21-18 and 21-12 set victories over Zane Hopkins and Kyle Krantz.

Rounding out the win were Jay Hyman and Tanner Laukhuff as the fifth pair, defeating Colin Fahey and Dorian Sepulveda 21-19 and 8-7 after Fahey and Sepulveda's 21-19 win in the second.

At the ones, Jackson Bones and Jacob Sledz took Erskine's Tyler Moore and Jordan Still to three sets, winning the first 21-19.

In the national title match, Stevenson met with Webber once again. Despite yesterday's 5-0 loss to the Warriors, the Mustangs bounced back to claim the upset.

Webber took an early lead with 21-8 and 21-15 victories in the first flight, but Stevenson was quick to even the score. Jay Hyman and Tanner Laukhuff notched 21-15 and 22-20 set victories before Anthony Pezzino and Ryan Thenell came up big with 21-18 and 21-19 wins.

Tied at two, the title came down to the second flight of John Ferraro and Tim Flanagan versus JT Corr and Trent Massey. Webber took the first set 21-16, but the Stevenson duo flipped the score on them in the second set for a 21-16 victory of their own.

In the final set of the 2024 national tournament, Ferraro and Flanagan maintained the lead in the back-and-forth affair. Ferraro's final hit sealed the deal, giving the Mustangs their first ever win over the Warriors and their first national title in program history.

In just their third season of existence, the national champion Mustangs finish the year 10-4 under second year head coach Ian Capp.