KINGSVILLE, Texas – Six wins in their last seven matches have propelled the Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team above the .500 mark to 8-7 and the Javelinas will have an opportunity to keep that momentum going when they travel to the Houston Baptist University Tournament, which will take place on Friday and Saturday in Houston, Texas.
The first day of the competition will only include one match for the Javelinas, who will match up against Abilene Christian at 11 a.m. On Saturday, the Javs will tangle with the New Mexico Lobos at 9 a.m. and the New Orleans Privateers at 1 p.m.
TAMUK enters the event off arguably their most impressive weekend of play in 2019. Playing four matches against a pair of Division I opponents, the Blue and Gold came away with a trio of wins at the ULM Beach Bash. They twice downed Nicholls State and gained revenge for a pair of losses at the hands of Louisiana-Monroe by battling past the Warhawks, 3-2. That successful weekend came on the back of three straight wins at the C of C Beach Bash and the team's recent run of success has erased a 2-6 start.
The breakout stars for the Javs during their time in Monroe were freshmen Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) and Christina Gragasin (Celina, Texas). They collected four wins in as many tries and have now won seven straight since being paired together, all in straight sets.
Murff and Gragasin aren't the only tandem entering the HBU Tournament on a hot streak. Sophomores Tenley Housler (Bulverde, Texas) and Whitney Walker (Bellingham, Wash.) have also run off seven consecutive wins, all out of the No. 1 flight. The 11 wins Walker and Housler have produced are tied with sophomore Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) and senior Haley Hutchinson (Georgetown, Texas) for the most on the roster.
Abilene Christian suffered through a difficult inaugural year in 2018, finishing with a record of 2-19 that included a mid-April loss to the Javelinas. Their 2019 season only recently got off the ground, starting in Albuquerque where they were handed consecutive losses by New Mexico. They'll arrive in Houston attempting to snap a seven-match losing streak that dates back to 2018.
The Lobos will be a familiar for just about everybody in Houston, having already squared off with not only ACU, but TAMUK and HBU this season. Coach Pauline Manser is still attempting to coax some consistency out of her team. The Lobos lost their first five matches, then won four of five before dropping four-in-a-row and following that with wins over the Wildcats. The Javelinas will have a chance to avenge a 3-2 loss to UNM earlier this season.
The Privateers will be attempting to take the opportunity to bounce back from consecutive losses to Tulane and Coastal Carolina at the Green Wave Invitational. Their schedule started with six wins in eight chances, including a 3-1 weekend at home at the New Orleans Invitational. The most intriguing matchup figures to take place in the No. 1 slot, where Walker and Housler will take on the team of Veronica Corcoran and Rachel Kuhn, who are 8-1 in the top flight this season.
At the end of each day of action in Houston, Javelinaathletics.com is where you'll be able to find a complete recap. To stay current with everything related to Javelina Beach Volleyball all season long, follow @JavelinaBeach on Twitter and @javelinasports and @JavelinaBeach on Instagram, like Javelina Sports on Facebook and visit Javelinasports.com.
