KINGSVILLE, Texas – In each of their last three tournaments, the Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team has posted a winning record and during that stretch they've defeated four Division I programs, but the Javelinas will face their sternest test yet when they travel to Baton Rouge, La. for the LSU Beach Invitational, where they'll play three matches on Saturday at the LSU Beach Volleyball Stadium.
All three matches will pit the Javelinas (10-8) against teams ranked in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, beginning with an 11 a.m. matchup against No. 4 Louisiana State. At 1 p.m., the Javelinas will clash with No. 11 South Carolina and the Javs will finish the day by taking on No. 20 Texas Christian.
In TAMUK's last 10 matches, eight of which they've won, the Javs have used the same pairings in four of the five flights. The tandems of Haley Hutchinson (Georgetown, Texas) and Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) and Christina Gragasin (Celina, Texas) and Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) both own records of 9-1 over those 10 contests.
Hutchinson and Berg are one of two Javelina pairings that currently own spots in the NCAA's top 10 in their respective flights. Their overall record of 14-4 places them seventh among third flight teams in 2019. In the second, flight senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) and Kylexus Block (San Antonio, Texas) have compiled a record of 11-3, which also places them seventh in that slot. In both instances, the TAMUK tandems are the only ones from a Division II program in the top 10. With a record of 8-6 in the No. 1 flight, sophomores Whitney Walker (Bellingham, Wash.) and Tenley Housler (Bulverde, Texas) reside just outside the top 25.
Each opponent that the Javelinas will meet in Baton Rouge will bring with them multiple tandems that have also made their way in the NCAA rankings. Fourth-ranked LSU can claim a record of 17-5 with each of their five defeats coming against teams in the top 10. They've also picked up seven victories over top 10 teams this season.
The first and fifth flights have been home to LSU's most successful teams. Juniors Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss are fifth in the country among top flight tandems with 19 wins against just three losses. Freshman Allison Coens and sophomore Hunter Domanski have all but owned the fifth slot, where they've logged a 17-5 mark.
The South Carolina Gamecocks have gone 13-6 in 2019 and their schedule in Baton Rouge will also include rematch with LSU, the team that knocked them out of the NCAA Championships a year ago. The Gamecocks will be the only team at the competition seeing the Javelinas for the first time, as TAMUK has taken on both LSU and TCU in each of its first two seasons.
Coach Moritz Moritz has employed one of the strongest combinations in the nation in Lydia Dimke and Katie Smith, who've spent the year in the second flight. In 20 matches, they've collected 17 wins and only two other pairings in the nation can boast a better mark. The squad's third flight has been the property of Franky Harrison and Carly Schneider, who've gone 13-7 and are 13th in the NCAA.
TCU's last two victories came at the expense of No. 16 Grand Canyon and No. 10 Stetson and they're looking to improve upon an overall record of 12-12. The Javelinas will be attempting to spring an upset on a Horned Frogs team that has beaten them in each of the last two seasons.
The most formidable obstacles standing in the way of a Javelinas upset are TCU's No. 2 and No. 5 teams. Hailey Brockett and Avery Arellano have dominated the fifth spot, going 16-4, which places them fourth in the nation, while Molly Scheel and Taylor Bradley own a 7-4 record in the second spot, which is 14th in the NCAA rankings.
Be sure to check Javelinaathletics.com for a recap of all three matches on Saturday. 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.
