Beach Volleyball Competes Hard Against Strong Competition in Belton
BELTON, Texas — The Texas A&M University–Texarkana beach volleyball team opened the UMHBeach Easter EGGstravaganza with a dominant performance before facing a tough slate of competition to close out the weekend.
The Eagles began tournament play on Thursday with a 5-0 sweep over Southwest Baptist. Texas A&M–Texarkana controlled the match from start to finish, picking up wins on all five courts.
At the No. 1 position, Paulina Dobreva and Mia Mata battled back after dropping the opening set to secure a three-set victory (15-21, 21-16, 15-12). Leanne Blue and Jaxie Tillman followed with a strong straight-set win at No. 2 (21-12, 21-16), while Bella Marvin and Lauren Herz added another point at No. 3 (21-17, 21-15).
Flor Lazo and Zoe Martinez earned a straight-set victory at No. 4 (21-17, 21-15), and Riley Mangan and Gabi Garcia capped off the sweep at No. 5 with a hard-fought two-set win (21-11, 22-20).
Later in the day, the Eagles took on no. 7 Wayland Baptist, falling 4-1. Dobreva and Mata once again delivered at the top spot, picking up their second three-set win of the day (21-16, 15-21, 15-12) to account for TAMUT's lone point.
On Friday, the Eagles faced host UMHB dropping a 5-0 decision. Despite the final score, the Eagles competed in several tight contests, including a three-set battle at the No. 4 position, where Bella Marvin and Lauren Herz pushed their match to the limit (20-22, 21-16, 15-11).
Texas A&M–Texarkana wrapped up the tournament against Texas Wesleyan, falling 5-0 in another competitive matchup. Three courts went the distance, including No. 2, where Leanne Blue and Jaxie Tillman took the opening set before falling in three (14-21, 21-18, 15-10). Flor Lazo and Zoe Martinez (No. 3) and Marvin and Herz (No. 4) also forced third sets but were unable to secure points for the Eagles.