Gaston College finishes seventh in NJCAA beach volleyball national championships

Gaston College's beach volleyball team finished strong in the National Junior College Athletic Association championships with a pair of victories on the event's final day for a seventh-place overall finish.

The Rhinos defeated Trinidad State, Col., 3-2 and Bryant & Stratton, Wisc., 3-0 at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala., to close out their play in the nine-team event that began action on Thursday.

For the second straight season, coach Rachel Noreika's team opened in a three-team pool that included eventual national champion Palm Beach State, Fla.

The Panthers defeated St. John's River State 3-0 to win the NJCAA's inaugural title in 2023 at Tavares, Fla., and won 3-0 over Region 10 champion Richard Bland 3-0 to win this year's title.

"I think we had the toughest pool top to bottom both Thursday and Friday," said Noreika, whose team finished the season with a 10-24 overall record that includes 2-16 against four-year schools. "So coming into today with an 0-4 record was tough. But the team really pulled together today and fought for each other to end the championships on a high note."

The No. 1 pair of Valentina Rodriguez and Cristina Rotola won three matches in the NJCAA national championships, including both on Saturday and also had three-set losses to Mesa, Ariz. and Richard Bland.

The No. 2 pair of Naomi Hilliard and Maddie Dearing won both of their Saturday matches and had a three-set loss to Richard Bland.

The No. 3 pair of Bianca Bowland and Milica Gavric won against Mesa, Ariz., on Thursday and against Bryant & Stratton on Saturday and they lost a grueling three-set matchup against Palm Beach State.

The No. 4 pair of Cameryn Reavis and Millea Styles won both of their Saturday matches.

And the No. 5 pair of Leilani Nolasco and Carli Phillips won their finale against Bryant & Stratton on Saturday.

"Being able to qualify and represent our college and conference at the National Championships at the end of the season is always the goal," Noreika said. "For us to do that for the second year in a row in our first two years as a beach program is a real trend-setting and program-building accomplishment. And I'm proud to lead this new program and proud of this team.