Macalester volleyball players Marie Godwin (Jr., Chaska, Minn.) and Majra Mucic (So., Zenica, Bosnia / St. Louis Park - Minn.) recently placed first in the Under-20 USA Beach Junior Tour in Chicago, Illinois, on August 2. Godwin and Mucic went 4-1 for the day and delivered a 28-25 championship win over Mallory Palmer and Samantha Yakey, a pair from Wisconsin.

The USA Beach Junior Tour is a growing event hosted by USA Volleyball with over a dozen tournaments in the summer all throughout the country. Last summer, Godwin and Macalester teammate Erin Cusic (Jr., Pine River, Minn. / Pine River-Backus) won a similar beach tournament in California.

"Even from last year, I noticed a lot more teams coming out to play. That really shows how much of an emerging sport beach volleyball is becoming," said Godwin of the sport. "Playing doubles on the beach, you are constantly involved in play and are getting a lot more touches. It helps with your performance of your indoor game."