KINGSVILLE, Texas – The final chapter in the careers of seniors Kyra Henderson (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Madeline Sims (Aztec, N.M.), as well as in the 2018 Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball season, was written on Sunday and it ended with the Javelinas dispatching a pair of challengers. They defeated the Abilene Christian Wildcats, 5-0, and thwarted the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders, 4-1.
Those two wins not only complete a perfect weekend and give TAMUK an undefeated home mark at 12-0, but it puts them at 20-10 on the season, doubling the win total from the program's inaugural year.
"I'm really proud of the girls," said coach Tanya Allen. "I think they played a lot like they did at nationals and I'm so happy the fans got to see what we got to see in Florida. I think a lot of the things we worked on over the last three months showed today."
Abilene Christian vs. TAMUK
The Javs began the day with a clean sweep of Abilene Christian, dropping only one set in doing so. This marked the first time in program history the Javs swept a team from a Division I school.
Sims and Loren Washington (Round Rock, Texas) quickly provided an early edge, barely breaking a sweat in a 21-11, 21-9 win in the fifth flight. Abilene's No. 4s, Brooke Riley and Lauren Walker, took the first frame from Henderson and Haley Hutchinson (Georgetown, Texas), but TAMUK's tandem rallied back. After a second set victory, Henderson and Hutchinson pounded out a narrow 16-14 triumph in the third for a 15-21, 21-13, 16-14 final. The sixth flight saw sophomore Maelee Sowa (Sealy, Texas) and Kadi Shipman (Georgetown, Texas) team up to top Lexie Rawls and Makenzie Kesler, 23-21, 6-21, 15-8.
In the No. 2 slot, sophomore Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) and freshman Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) pushed their win total for the season to 19 by dropping Kendall Bosse and Jacey Smith, 21-9, 21-16. Sophomore Gabby Atchley (Concord, Calif.) and freshman Whitney Walker (Bellingham, Wash.) put away the top match, 21-16, 21-15 and the sweep was secured when freshmen Tenley Housler (Bulverde, Texas) and Erin Umbel (Helotes, Texas) collected the third flight, 23-21, 21-9.
TAMCC vs. TAMUK
For the third time in 2018, the Javelinas and Islanders locked horns and the rubber match in this rivalry went to the Javs in a contest that went down to the wire.
The first two matches were scooped up by TAMUK without much drama. Henderson and Hutchinson upped their 2018 win total to 17 by a score of 21-14, 21-16. For Henderson, this marked the 32nd win of her career, which stands as the program's highest mark over its first two campaigns. Sims and Washington then extended the Javelina lead to 2-0, cruising past Naomi Overstreet and Jenna Krenek, 21-11, 21-9. The No. 6, exhibition match also went to the Blue and Gold, 21-8, 20-22, 15-13, thanks to the efforts of Sowa and Shelby Tate (New Braunfels, Texas).
TAMUK's early advantage seemed to be in jeopardy once the top three competitions began, as the Islanders won the first set in each match and managed to triumph in the second flight, 21-19, 21-16, but Kingsville's No. 1 and No. 3 tandem's persevered. In the No. 1 matchup, Walker and Atchley snatched the second set, 21-18, while Housler and Umbel forced a third frame, rebounding with a 21-16 victory. In both instances, the third set would be tight all the way.
Walker and Atchley grabbed the lead and kept their opponents at bay the entire time, never trailing on their way to a 15-12 clincher. Housler and Umbel were forced to come back from a four-point deficit but they managed to even the score in a contest destined for extra points. The last two points went to Kingsville's freshmen, however, for a 16-21, 21-16, 17-15 win.
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