LAKE CHARLES, La. – Tarleton State Beach Volleyball left their first tournament of the inaugural season with a win, finishing 1-3 overall at McNeese's Cowgirl Beach Bash in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Texans (1-3) dropped their opening pair in the event on Friday, 5-0 to No. 20 Cal Poly and 4-1 to the host McNeese. On Saturday, Tarleton split the pair, enduring a 5-0 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, then defeating Nicholls State 4-1 for their first win as a program.
"The McNeese Cowgirl Beach Bash was a great season-opener to be a part of," head coach
Tatyana Tuialii-Umi said. "We faced a lot of tough competition and I'm very proud of how quickly we were able to adjust and play to our strengths all across the board. Our Sandy Texans pushed back harder each match as the tournament went on and really bought in to the idea of doing the little things right. I'm so proud of these girls for securing our first win in program history!"
Tarleton's first match in program history was about as tough as it could come, with the Mustangs slotted No. 20 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Poll, the official recognized poll by the NCAA. Cal Poly is ranked as high as No. 13 by CollegeBeachVB.com.
Cal Poly took all five matches in straight sets. At No. 1, Ella Connor and Izzy Martinez defeated
Emma Halcomb and
Allison Bryant 21-9 21-12. In the 2's, Piper Ferch and Erin Inskeep took down
Grayson Schirpik and
Breanna McDonough 21-15 21-11. In the 3's, Piper Naess and Quinn Perry beat
Melina Maldonado Ortiz and
Charlize Ching 21-5 21-6. As for the Pair 4's, Emma Zuffelato and Sydney Terrell took down
Isabel Gonzaba and
Tatum Busch 21-14 21-13. In the 5's, Julia Soeller and Katie Clevenger defeated
Sydney Garrison and
Rajini Fitzmaurice 21-12 21-12.
In Tarleton's second match of the day, they took on the host McNeese Cowgirls, who are also playing in their inaugural season. The Texans got a win at Pair 5, as Garrison and Fitzmaurice won 18-21 22-20 15-6 over Emily Koetsier and Isabella Ceja. McNeese won the other four matches, as Gracey Janes and Carissa Chainey defeated Halcomb and Bryant 21-18 21-15 at No. 1, Harlee Tupper and Rylee Lansing defeated Schirpik and McDonough 21-17 21-19 at No. 2, Kendall Osgood and Ella Swansiger defeated Maldonado Ortiz and Ching 21-12 21-16 at No. 3, and Jolie Savoie and Nadia Manitzas defeated Gonzaba and Busch 21-16 21-19 at No. 4.
On Saturday, the Texans first took on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to start. Last year, the Islanders advanced to the NCAA Tournament, finishing 21-13 overall. On Saturday, they knocked off the Texans 5-0, as Chloe Tome and Stephanie Young won 21-11 21-10 over Halcomb and Bryant at No. 1, Kristin Bobay and Madison Morrow won 21-12 21-12 over McDonough and Schirpik at No. 2, Hannah Doyle and Cassie Dodd won 21-9 21-16 over Maldonado Ortiz and Ching at No. 3, Kela Moreno and Raven Jordan won 21-15 21-14 over Garrison and Fitzmaurice at No. 4, and Tori Johnson and Elizabeth Cortez won 21-10 21-11 over Gonzaba and Busch at No. 5.
In Tarleton State's team win over Nicholls State, they won four pair matches at Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5. At No. 1, Tarleton's Halcomb and Bryant won 21-14 21-14 over McKenna Malone and McKay Wilson. At No. 2, McDonough and Schirpik won 22-20 21-19 over Kennedi Steele and Aspen Steele. At No. 4, Garrison and Fitzmaurice won 21-15 21-19 over Keira Heckel and Shelby McGee. At No. 5, Gonzaba and Busch won 21-15 21-19 over Tierney Terrell and Carleigh Breaux. Nicholls State's Bethanie Durant and Brooklynn Wilkinson won at No. 3 21-12 21-19 over Maldonado Ortiz and Ching.
Cal Poly left the tournament a perfect 4-0 and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 3-1. Tarleton State, McNeese and Nicholls State all beat each other, going 1-3 at the event.
The Texans have nearly a month off before they play again. They'll host their lone home matches of the season on March 22 against Texas A&M-Kingsville at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Tarleton Beach Volleyball courts.
