KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the second time in program history, the Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team has gotten off to a 4-0 start and they reached that mark by logging two more victories on Saturday, first sweeping the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, 5-0, then doing the same to the Cedar Valley College Suns by an identical 5-0 score on the last day of the Kingsville Tourney at the Javelina Beach Courts in Kingsville, Texas.
TAMUK vs. SFA
Freshmen Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) and Macie Satterwhite (Callisburg, Texas) got the Javs off on the right foot with a 21-11, 21-18 win in the fourth flight and freshman Grace Gettys (New Braunfels, Texas) and sophomore Christina Gragasin (Celina, Texas) took No. 6, 21-13, 21-11. In the No. 5 match, the 'Jacks took the first set, but junior Shelby Tate (New Braunfels, Texas) and freshman Rylie Anderson (Justin, Texas) jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the next frame and held on to even the match. They started fast again in third set, going ahead 9-3 and never looking back to log a 14-21, 21-15, 15-9 win.
A Javelina win became a certainty thanks to juniors Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) and Meghan Merlino (Sacramento Calif.), who put away the second flight, 21-13, 21-18, but final two contests each needed a third set. In the top flight, junior Tenley Housler (Bulverde, Texas) and sophomore Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) dropped the first stanza and trailed 17-13 late in the second, but stormed back to forge 20-20 tied before winning the frame, 23-21. They completed their comeback with a 15-11 triumph in the third.
Junior Kapri Pelle (Auburn, Calif.) and senior Shelby Williams (New Braunfels, Texas) staged their own comeback in the third set at No. 3. Behind 14-11, they won five straight points for a dramatic 21-13, 15-21, 16-14 victory.
TAMUK vs. CVC
The Javelinas capped their weekend by sailing past the Suns without dropping a set. Merlino and Berg put together a dominant, 21-4, 21-6 performance at No. 2 and Housler and Morris weren't far behind, recording a 21-9, 21-3 win. Seniors Maelee Sowa (Sealy, Texas) and Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) jumped into the No. 5 spot and cruised in straight sets, 21-10, 21-8.
Williams and Pelle controlled the third flight and notched their fourth win of the weekend, 21-8, 21-7. Closing out the sweep were Satterwhite and freshman Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas), 21-7, 21-14.
Next stop for TAMUK is Fort Worth, where they'll play three matches on Friday, starting at 8 a.m. against Abilene Christian. To stay current with everything related to Javelina Beach Volleyball all year long, follow @JavelinaBeach on Twitter and @javelinasports and @JavelinaBeach on Instagram, like Javelina Sports on Facebook and visit Javelinasports.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
