LEXINGTON, Ky. --- The College of Charleston beach volleyball program is one of only two programs in the nation to have more than three pairings recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association in its 2^nd annual class of AVCA Top Flight award winnings, announced AVCA officials Thursday.
 
College of Charleston (20-4) joins top-ranked UCLA as the only two programs in the nation to feature more than three pairings in the AVCA's Top Flight class. The Cougars have pairings featured in flights one, two, four, and five, while the Bruins are the only squad with a duo named in all five flights.
 
Charleston's top pairing of Kennedy Madison (Evansville, Ind.) and Lauren Freed (Troy, Ohio) finished the 2019 season with an 18-6 record in the first flight, including a straight-set win against No. 19 Georgia State on Mar. 30. The duo is ranked 12^th in flight one based on winning percentage with a mark of 0.750.
 
McKala Rhodes (Charleston, S.C.) and Devon Rachel (Louisville, Ky.) are the top-ranked No. 2 pairing in the nation after collecting a single-season record 22 wins in 2019. The duo compiled a superb 0.917 winning percentage and only dropped seven sets over the course of the season. Rhodes and Rachel defeated a pair of ranked opponents in No. 11 South Carolina and No. 4 LSU, and opened the campaign with a 15-match winning streak.
 
The Cougars' pairing of Allison Beckman (Apex, N.C.) and Logan Manusky (San Diego, Calif.) nabbed the final spot in flight four with a 15-5 record this season. They picked up two wins over ranked opponents with victories against No. 19 Georgia State and No. 11 South Carolina. Beckman and Manusky put together a nine-match winning streak at one point this season.
 
Charleston's No. 5 duo of Taylor Foley (Agoura Hills, Calif.) and Katja Ehlers (Raleigh, N.C.) are third in the fifth flight with an 18-3 record this season. The twosome opened the season with a 12-match winning streak, and did not drop a set until a 2-0 setback to Arizona State on Mar. 29. Foley and Ehlers posted two victories against ranked opponents with wins against No. 11 South Carolina and fourth-ranked LSU.
 
The award is designed to recognize excellence in collegiate beach volleyball from all over the country and across all flights. In order for a pair to be eligible for the award, two athletes must compete in at least 15 matches together and at a specific flight number. Should that pair win at least 75% of their matches – regardless of the overall result of the dual – those athletes will achieve "Top Flight" status.
 
Charleston is expected to return 12 letter-winners from this year's squad, including rising seniors Freed, Mandy Napierala (Rochester, N.Y.), Peyton Eisnaugle (Dallas, Texas), and Meghan Murphy (Orange, Calif.).