NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The first day in Nacogdoches, Texas pitted the Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the Javelinas came away with a 3-2 win over the Lions before falling to the 'Jacks, 5-0 on Friday afternoon. The Javs finished the weekend by participating in a pairs tournament hosted by SFA on Saturday.
"The pairs tournament was a fun and competitive event," said coach Tanya Allen, "and I think it was a good way to help our pairs progress.
"We need to be more consistent overall and be more effective in first ball side out, but the girls are improving and working hard."
TAMUK vs. SLU
The Lions only fielded four pairs against the Javs, forfeiting the fifth flight, but TAMUK made sure that wouldn't be their only point by easily winning the No. 3 match, 21-10, 21-15, courtesy of junior Tenley Housler (Bulverde, Texas) and freshman Macie Satterwhite (San Antonio, Texas).
Senior TaylorLynn Noga (Anchorage, Alaska) and junior Macy Berg (San Antonio, Texas) had a tougher fight in the fourth flight, but took the first game 23-21 before dropping the next one, 21-14. Noga and Berg persevered in the third set, however, and secured a 23-21, 14-21, 15-11 win for the Blue and Gold.
TAMUK vs. SFA
After defeating the Lumberjacks three straight times in 2021, the Javelinas were unable to maintain that success on Friday. SFA took four of the five matches in straight sets, with the only exception coming in the No. 3 contest. Housler and Satterwhite dropped the opening frame before bouncing back to take second, 21-15. Only a narrow, 15-13 defeat in the last set could deny them a win. The bright spot for the Javs came in the No. 6 flight, which was won by sophomore Adrienne van Brunt (Corpus Christi, Texas) and junior Kapri Pelle (Auburn, Calif.).
SFA Pairs Tournament
In Saturday's tournament, 20 pairs, including seven from TAMUK, were split into four pools and the two Javelina tandems placed in Pool 1 found the most success. In four matches in pool play, Satterwhite and Housler posted a perfect record, capped by a 21-9 win over a pair from Hendrix College.
One of Satterwhite and Housler's victories came at the expense of the Javs' No. 1 team of senior Olivia Nicholson (North Platte, Neb.) and junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas), but that was the only blemish on their record in pool play, sending both teams into the single-elimination tournament.
Satterwhite and Housler and the Javelinas' No. 2 pair of seniors Debra Rogers (Tulsa, Okla.) and Shelby Williams (New Braunfels, Texas) both reached the tournament quarterfinals, but Morris and Nicholson went the furthest. They won their first match, 21-16, then earned a 21-17 triumph in the quarters before being defeated in the semifinals.
The Javelinas won't have to go far for their next tournament, which will be the Conni and Jay Wise Islander Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas, scheduled to start on April 2nd. Fans can stay up-to-date with everything related to Javelina beach volleyball during the season by following @JavelinaBeach and @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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