ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University women's beach volleyball team put two pairs on the second edition of the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas all-conference list, released on Thursday (Apr. 9). Sofia Vega Barrantes was also named the league's Freshman of the Year.
Hannah Marsh (Gulf Shores, Ala.) and Sofia Vega Barrantes (San José, Costa Rica) went 12-11 (7-3 SACC), including 10-11 as the 1's to earn first team honors. Marsh and Vega Barrantes have been partners since March 4 against Lynchburg. They have defeated Lynchburg, Emmanuel (twice), Erskine, Wingate (three times), Catawba, Eckerd, Florida Southern, Carson-Newman, and Division I Eastern Kentucky.
Vega Barrantes went 15-13 (8-2 SACC) over her first collegiate regular season, including 23 matches with Marsh. Outside of their partnership, the freshman went 3-2 with two other teammates (Jordyn Anderson and Sofia Richmond). They combined to defeat Morehead State, Austin Peay, and Lynchburg.
Brynn Smith (Wellsburg, Iowa) and Sylvia Liszewski (Sarasota, Fla.) earned second team laurels. Together, the pair has gone 5-7 (4-2 SACC). The partnership began against Chattanooga for a single match but has been a constant feature in the lineup since March 21. Smith and Liszewski have defeated Florida Southern, along with a four-match conference sweep last weekend.
This marks the second-straight year that Marsh and Smith have been named all-conference. The pair earned first team honors last season as Tusculum's top flight.
Tusculum enters this weekend's (Apr. 10-11) South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Championship as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Pioneers finished the regular season with a 9-18 (6-4 SACC) record.
2026 SACC Beach Volleyball All-Conference
First Team All-Conference
Emerson Ahsmuhs / Ava Potts, Carson-Newman
Addie Smith / Camryn Ehlers, Carson-Newman
Paige Halcrow / Trinity Hafey, Carson-Newman
Abigal Platt / Reka Meilinger, Erskine
Hannah Marsh / Sofia Vega Barrantes, Tusculum
Second Team All-Conference
Lucy Bartee / Morgan Foy, Carson-Newman
Mackenzie Fa'apouli / Hannah Platt, Erskine
Brynn Smith / Sylvia Liszewski, Tusculum
Lilou Thieme / Kate Beezer, Wingate
Ella Harm / Naomi Hilliard, Wingate
Freshman of the Year
Sofia Vega Barrantes, Tusculum
Pair of the Year
Emerson Ahsmuhs / Ava Potts, Carson-Newman
Player of the Year
Abigal Platt, Erskine
Coach of the Year
Cat Collins, Carson-Newman
