KINGSVILLE, Texas – Senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) and freshman Kylexus Block (San Antonio, Texas) notched a pair of wins in the second flight, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team dropped a pair of 3-2 decisions, first to the New Mexico Lobos, then to the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks on Saturday afternoon at the Javelina Beach Courts in Kingsville, Texas.
TAMUK vs. New Mexico
Sophomore Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) and senior Haley Hutchinson (Georgetown, Texas) put the home team on the board first in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14. UNM used their fourth and fifth pairings to bounced back and move ahead. In both cases, the Javelinas made UNM work for their points, forcing a third set in the fourth and fifth flights, but Emily Nenninger and Abbey Wilson outlasted junior TaylorLynn Noga (Anchorage, Alaska) and freshman Christina Gragasin (Celina, Texas) in the fourth flight, 21-18, 19-21, 15-11. Claire Nenninger and Jaclyn Inclan eked out a 17-21, 21-18, 15-11 triumph in the fifth slot against freshmen Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) and Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas).
Brabham and Block earned a win in comeback fashion in the second match. They dropped the first stanza before rebounding in 21-19 fashion to force a third set and then collected their first victory of the day by out-fighting Yasmin Tan and Morgan Schreckler in the decisive frame for a 17-21, 21-19, 15-12 final. Unfortunately for the Javs, UNM clinched the win with a sweep in the first flight.
TAMUK vs. Louisiana-Monroe
The Warhawks earned two quick wins, first in the fifth flight, where Audrey Brooks and Bailey Smith topped Murff and Kadilis, 21-13, 21-13, and in the exhibition match, as Emma Vann and Holland Ponthieux defeated juniors Kadi Shipman (Georgetown, Texas) and Maelee Sowa (Sealy, Texas), 21-16, 21-15.
Gragasin and Noga battled their way past Elizabeth Moreland and Allie Kemp in the fourth flight. The first set went to the Blue and Gold, 21-15 before Moreland and Kemp came back and tied things, 21-11. Noga and Gragasin dug deep in the final stanza, erasing an early deficit en route to 15-11 clincher.
After the Warhawks won the first flight, another superb effort knotted the match again, this one from Brabham and Block. A lead in the opening set slipped away, but TAMUK's No. 2 pairing won the second set 21-15. They got in front early in the final frame and never looked back, pocketing a 19-21, 21-15, 15-10. Only a narrow, 18-21, 21-15, 15-12 win for ULM in the third flight kept the Javelinas from scoring an upset.
The C of C Beach Bash in Charleston, S.C. is the next item on TAMUK's schedule and it will take TAMUK to the Palmetto State for four matches in two days beginning on March 9th. Fans can keep up with Javelina Beach Volleyball by following @JavelinaBeach on Twitter and @javelinasports and @JavelinaBeach on Instagram, liking Javelina Sports on Facebook and visiting Javelinasports.com.
