NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team pushed two nationally recognized programs to the brink Saturday but came away empty-handed, dropping a 3-2 decision to South Florida before falling 4-1 to No. 12 LSU Tigers in a pair of tightly contested duals.
Against (rv) USF, the Islanders showed early control on the top court.
Kristin Bobay and
Madison Morrow endured a 24-22, 21-12 straight-sets victory at No. 1.
Bryce Ranney and
Mia Stevens added another point at No. 5, defeating their opposition 21-17, 21-18 to give the Islanders two strong pillars in the lineup.
The middle courts ultimately proved decisive. At No. 2, Maria Duda Fernandes De Melo and
Millie Olsson were judge edged 17-21, 21-14, 15-13 in a three-set battle. Courts three and four followed a similar script, with USF slipping past
Lizzie Denyer and
Emily Wood 23-21, 18-21, 15-9 at No. 3 and
Ashlyn Rough and Mille Maxwell Berthou 16-21, 22-20, 15-13 at No. 4 to seal the 3-2 result.
The Islanders carried fight into their matchup with 12th-ranked LSU. Bobay and Morrow forced a third set at No. 1 after taking the opener 21-18, but the Tigers' top pair responded for a 21-18, 15-8 finish. At No. 4, Rough and Berthou battled back from a first-set loss to claim the second 21-15 before LSU escaped 15-13 in the decisive frame.
Denyer and Wood were edged 21-19, 21-17 at No. 3, and Fernandes De Melo and Olsson dropped a tight 21-16, 21-17 decision on court two. The Islanders' lone point came at No. 5, where Ranney and Stevens delivered one of the most grittiest finishes of the day, rallying for a 19-21, 21-19, 20-18 victory over the ranked Tigers.
Four of the 10 matches across the two duals went to three sets, and several others were decided by just two points on the day.
The Islanders closed out the opening weekend with the 1-3 record, facing all teams either ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The season will continue on to South Carolina's Wheeler Beach Bash next weekend for another round of NCAA caliber opponents.
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