KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville beach volleyball team has one more date remaining on the calendar in the 2022 regular season and that last day includes a pair of matches for the Javelinas, first against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, who they'll play at 12 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. matchup against the Houston Baptist Huskies at the Third Coast Volleyball Club in Houston, Texas.
The Javelinas own a 13-10 record so far in 2022 and have an opportunity to reach 15 wins for the third time in program history. A successful Friday in Houston would also enable the Javs to carry some momentum into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Small College Beach Championships, which will begin on April 14th.
Coach Tanya Allen's team started April in Mississippi at the Southern Miss Beach Invitational and seniors Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) and Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) put on the team's best showing in the Magnolia State. Merlino and Morris finished the weekend with a 3-1 record and one of their notches in the win column was a 21-16, 17-21, 15-8 triumph over Spring Hill. Overall, these two seniors have gone 6-3 together while holding down the fourth flight.
For the past several weeks, the No. 5 spot has mostly been occupied by senior Christina Gragasin (Celina, Texas) and sophomore Grace Gettys (New Braunfels, Texas). This tandem won their first five contests together, all of them in straight sets and they also came away with a win against SHC, 17-21, 21-17, 15-11. The mark of 6-2 that Gettys and Gragasin have forged together has contributed to an overall record of 14-9 that TAMUK owns in the fifth flight.
HBU's record stands at 9-16 in 2022, but part of the reason for their below .500 mark is a schedule that's pitted them against nine teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 20, as well as three matchups against a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team that recently received votes in those rankings. The Lumberjacks will arrive in Houston carrying a five-match win streak that's pushed their record to 12-10, which is a new school-best for wins a season for this program in its third year.
Plenty of history exists between the Javelinas and these two squads, both of whom TAMUK crossed paths with as recently as last season. The Javs and the 'Jacks split four meetings in 2021, while HBU's most recent encounter with the Blue and Gold ended in the Javelinas first ever victory over the Huskies. TAMUK's matchup with HBU on Friday will the give the Javs the chance to score their first road win in the rivalry, as the Huskies have taken the previous three meetings on their home court.
Be sure to check back on Javelinaathletics.com on Friday for a recap and results from both matches in Houston. 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.
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