FORT WORTH, Texas – On a day in which the Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team went up against three Division I opponents, the Javelinas came away with two victories, knocking off the Abilene Christian Wildcats, 5-0, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers 4-1, while suffering a 4-1 loss to the No. 16 TCU Horned Frogs on Friday afternoon at the TCU Sand Volleyball Courts in Fort Worth, Texas.
"Playing three matches in a day is tough, but this team has fight," said coach Tanya Allen, "and they find a way to score at crunch time. I'm proud of how they competed today. Emily North and Macie Satterwhite have phenomenal chemistry and are really working well together."
TAMUK vs. Abilene Christian
The Javs cruised past the Wildcats to their fifth straight win, marking the first time TAMUK has ever started a season 5-0.
Junior Shelby Tate (New Braunfels, Texas) and freshman Rylie Anderson (Justin, Texas) got the Javelinas started by grabbing the fifth flight, 21-9, 21-10 and freshmen Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) and Macie Satterwhite (Callisburg, Texas) followed suit at No. 4 with a 21-10, 21-15 win.
Juniors Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) and Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) took the No. 2 match, 21-13, 21-14 and the top flight went to the tandem of junior Tenley Housler (Bulverde, Texas) and sophomore Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas). Senior Shelby Williams (San Antonio, Texas) and freshman Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) were paired together for the first time at No. 3 and cruised, 21-8, 21-13 to complete the sweep.
TAMUK vs. TCU
North and Satterwhite, who were perfect on Friday, salvaged the only point for their team against the Horned Frogs, securing the fourth flight in straight sets, 21-14, 21-17.
North and Satterwhite's win allowed TAMUK to head into the final three matches tied, but TCU took each one in two sets to hand the Javelinas their first defeat.
TAMUK vs. Nebraska
The Javelinas' win over Nebraska represented their first-ever victory over a school from a Power Five conference.
Once again, it was North and Satterwhite who got their team started, triumphing again in straight sets, 21-12, 21-14. Tate and Anderson needed a third set, but still got it done, 21-13, 14-21, 15-10. In the No. 6 match, seniors Maelee Sowa (Sealy, Texas) and Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) came out on top, 21-10, 21-18.
The Cornhuskers battled back by winning the third flight and they pushed both the No. 1 and No. 2 matches to a third set. In both instances, the Javelinas won seven of the first 10 points and used that momentum to secure victories. Berg and Merlino finished with a 20-22, 21-15, 15-9 triumph, while Housley and Morris pocketed a 21-15, 17-21, 15-9 win.
Next up for TAMUK is a trip to New Orleans for five matches at the UNO Tournament, which will begin on Friday, March 6th. 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.
