UMAG, Croatia – Florida State sand volleyball rising junior All-American Jace Pardon will compete for the second consecutive year at the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships beginning Wednesday in Umag, Croatia.
An All-American this past season, Pardon will team with Alexa Strange, who played at Nebraska last year. The pair is joined on the United States team by Lara Dykstra and Rebecca Strehlow.
In all, 39 teams will compete at the tournament which begins on Wednesday and runs through Sunday.
“I’m super stoked,” Pardon said. “I’m more prepared this year. I’ve been practicing really hard this summer and I’ve been working on my split-blocking. My partner and I have had good chemistry so I think we will play well. I didn’t finish like I wanted to at the end of the collegiate season so I’m hoping to make up for it in Croatia. I want to finish higher than last year and leave Croatia knowing we did our best, and hopefully with a medal.”
Pardon and the U.S. team practiced at the Olympic Training Facility in Chula Vista, Calif., for three days before heading to Croatia.
Last year, Pardon competed with USC’s Kirby Burnham in the event held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but the pair did not advance far.
After a 2013 season at FSU where she played primarily at the No. 1 position, captured AVCA All-America honors and finished with a 28-12 record, Pardon is poised for a great run at this year’s World Championships this week.
