NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-2 match to Tulane early Saturday but regrouped to tackle Southeastern 4-1 in the first conference matchup of the year to round out opening weekend.
The Islanders (2-2) went down to a final set with Tulane, but the Green Wave was able to defend their home court for the 3-2 edge. However, A&M-Corpus Christi shook it off and eyed their conference opener where they took care of business in a 4-1 decision for the 1-0 start to SLC play.
Under head coach
Gayle Stammer, the Islanders are 34-0 against Southland opponents in regular season matches.
"We're in a good spot right now, finishing the weekend 2-2!" said Stammer. "
Madison Morrow and
Tess Spaansen went undefeated at the one's and we picked up wins across the board.
Jade Bennett and
Bryce Ranney did very well in their first tournament together as well, winning three of their four matches at our five's position."
The top court went undefeated over opening weekend for the Islanders, with
Madison Morrow/Tess Spaansed posting a pair of sweeps together at that No. 1 line. They were also the only two to win a point in both matches today, as the team spread out their position victories today.
Newcomers
Ashlyn Rough and
Veronique Magnan teamed up to take court three from Tulane in a battled 23-21, 22-20 decision.
The rest of A&M-Corpus Christi's pairings notched a victory in the second match of the day, with
Maria Duda Fernandes de Melo/
Millie Olsson eased to a 21-6, 21-15 win against the Lady Lions at No. 2. Courts four and five were played out and saw
Elizabeth Cortez/
Kela Moreno grind out the 21-15, 15-21, 15-8 advantage while
Jade Bennett/
Bryce Ranney notched their third win of the weekend in a 21-18, 21-17 sweep at No. 5.
Next up, the Islanders will stay in-state and compete in Texas's Longhorn Invitational next weekend in Austin.
Match 3 // Tulane 3, A&M-Corpus Christi 2
1. Morrow, Madison/Spaansen, Tess (AMCC) def. Heintzelman, Emily/Cutler, McKenzie (Tulane) 22-20, 21-15
2. Hall, Sara/Trodd, Molly (Tulane) def. Fernandes De Melo, Maria Duda/Olsson, Millie (AMCC) 12-21, 21-19, 15-12 3
3. Rough, Ashlyn/Magnan, Veronique (AMCC) def. Ensign, Skylar/Gallegos, Gigi (Tulane) 23-21, 22-20
4. Mullen, Amelia/Burks, Avery (Tulane) def. Cortez, Elizabeth/Moreno, Kela (AMCC) 21-18, 21-14
5. Hennessey, Alexandra/Treskounov, Teona (Tulane) def. Bennett, Jade/Ranney, Bryce (AMCC) 19-21, 21-16, 15-12
Match 4 // A&M-Corpus Christi 4, Southeastern 1
1. Morrow, Madison/Spaansen, Tess (AMCC) def. McKinney, Mia/Logarbo, Alexis (SLU) 21-15, 21-13
2. Fernandes De Melo, Maria Duda/Olsson, Millie (AMCC) def. Lockwood, Ysabella/Petty, Carley (SLU) 21-6, 21-15
3. Hicks, Makayla/Sauers, Mia (SLU) def. Rough, Ashlyn/Magnan, Veronique (AMCC) 41-39, 18-21, 15-11
4. Cortez, Elizabeth/Moreno, Kela (AMCC) def. Paiva, Maggie/Hrubanova, Gabriela (SLU) 21-15, 15-21, 15-8
5. Bennett, Jade/Ranney, Bryce (AMCC) def. Steele, Kennedi/Brauckmiller, Anne (SLU) 21-18, 21-17
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