FRISCO, Texas – Madison Morrow and
Tess Spaansen of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team were selected as the 2025 SLC Pair of the Year to highlight the Islanders-packed postseason awards, as the league office announced All-Conference Teams and Superlatives Monday.
Morrow and Spaansen were the top voted pair across the league for the honor, simultaneously earning a spot on the All-Conference First Team. Spaansen was additionally named Freshman of the Year, the third year in a row the Islanders won the superlative.
The No. 1 duo was joined by
Bryce Ranney/
Jade Bennett on the First Team for their performance this year at court five. On the All-Conference Second Team, the three's pair of
Kela Moreno/
Maria Duda Fernandes de Melo and the four's pair of
Elizabeth Cortez/
Ashlyn Rough each earned their spot.
"We are proud that four of our teams are recognized on the All-Conference teams! Tess and Madison are incredibly deserving of the Pair of the Year award, and I'm also thrilled for Tess on receiving Freshman of the Year, a well-earned honor and it's just the beginning for her. Congratulations to all our athletes for representing Islanders Beach Volleyball with excellence!" said head coach
Gayle Stammer.
Morrow/Spaansen went 21-9 overall this year in the regular season including an undefeated 7-0 in conference play all from Flight One. They are the fourth pair in program history to win 20+ duals in a season and have played a massive role in the Islanders receiving votes in the AVCA Poll every week this season.
Spaansen posted the 22-9 individual dual mark, playing every match from the top spot. She led the team in wins this season, becoming the third consecutive SLC Freshman of the Year from the Islanders.
Ranney/Bennett competed mainly from court five, also going untouched in conference play with the 6-0 record to earn the First Team recognition. They finish the regular season 12-2 as a pair from the No. 5 spot.
Moreno/Fernandes de Melo completed a 5-1 conference mark from court three while Cortez/Rough went 4-1 from the four spot as both pairs graced the Second Team.
The Islanders will be the No. 2 seed for the SLC Championships and will get underway this Wednesday at 9 a.m. against No. 7 McNeese. They will be going for their fourth consecutive title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Click here to view the full 2025 Southland Conference beach volleyball postseason awards. The beach volleyball tournament bracket can be viewed
here.
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