Elaina Millaway (left) and Vanessa Moriarty (right) celebrate their runner-up finish in the Women’s Open Division at the SSOVA St. Pete Beach Tournament. (Photo courtesy of SSOVA)

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball duo Vanessa Moriarty and Elaina Millaway earned a runner-up finish in the Women’s Open Division at the SSOVA St. Pete Beach Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Competing in a 10-team field, the Eagle pair compiled a 4-1 overall record before falling 21-16, 21-17 in the championship match to tournament winners Jenna Phillips and Lydia Smith.

Despite dropping the opening set in the final, Moriarty and Millaway fought to stay close in set two before Phillips and Smith pulled away to cap off the title run, handing the FGCU duo their lone defeat of the day.

While the pair did not partner during the NCAA spring season, their summer chemistry built on a prior history of playing together in off-season open events.

“We played together a lot last year over the summer, so we planned to play a lot this summer too,” Moriarty said. “We love playing together—I feel like we mesh very well. We didn’t get the opportunity to play the season together, so we figured we would play again this summer.”

To reach the final, Moriarty and Millaway opened the tournament with their toughest physical test of the early rounds, rallying from a first-set drop to claim a three-set battle against Maddie Hankins and Tess Schrenger (16-21, 21-13, 15-10) before finding their rhythm with a 21-18, 21-10 victory over Kathilia Paraspolo and Aracelys Sanchez.

As afternoon bracket play continued, the FGCU pair kept advancing. They outlasted Sarah McDonnell and Elsa Schroth in a tight 21-19, 21-18 quarterfinal match, then capped their streak with a sharp 21-14, 21-18 sweep over Paula Graudina and Ayla Young in the semifinals.

“The first matches were definitely more physical, but the last match we were playing against older, more mature players, so it was a lot more mental,” Millaway said. “They were very smart, and we had to adjust our defense and offense to defend them.”

Facing a dynamic veteran pairing in the final, the FGCU duo relied on constant communication to make in-game adjustments.

“They were two girls we’d never played before—one was a small defender, super scrappy, hitting good shots, another was a really big blocker,” Moriarty said. “Talking after every single point, making sure we were on the same page, and sticking together the whole time was my biggest takeaway.”

In addition to the mental battle in the final, the pair had to manage the physical toll of playing five matches in one day under the Florida heat.

“It was definitely a lot! Eating and drinking a lot of nutrition and stuff throughout the games,” Moriarty said. “When we did get in those struggles and we were both really tired and hot after a long rally, just coming to each other and telling each other, ‘Okay, just one play at a time. Let’s play simple, just pass inside-out, and make the game more simple for us.’”

Throughout the bracket run, Millaway pointed to their shared demeanor as the stabilizing factor on the court.

“We’re both pretty calm players,” Millaway said. “Having a partner who’s not freaking out and can help you stay calm really balances it out. Vanessa is very disciplined—if I’m struggling with something, I know she’s going to do her part. The calmness and discipline definitely help in tight, intense games.”

For both players, taking on open division competition against diverse playstyles serves as a critical stepping stone heading into the fall training schedule.

“In open tournaments, you play against a lot of different players and players from all over with different backgrounds,” Millaway noted. “You can kind of take from what they have in their game, try to put it into yours and new things, which then you could bring in season and practice and just grow stronger.”

The 4-1 performance builds strong momentum for the Eagle duo as FGCU prepares to launch its fall training sessions.

“It honestly gives us pretty good momentum,” Moriarty said. “We feel good—it was a good finish to the tournament. It made us a little more confident in our play right now to go into the fall season.”