Beach Volleyball Finishes Fifth at AVCA Small College Championships

GULF SHORES, Ala. - The Texas A&M University–Texarkana beach volleyball team closed out its 2026 season with a strong showing at the AVCA Small College Beach Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama, finishing fifth overall and earning a pair of team victories across the weekend.

The Eagles opened pool play in dominant fashion with a 3-0 sweep of Truett McConnell. The No. 1 pair of Leanne Blue and Paulina Dobreva set the tone with a decisive 21-13, 21-7 victory, while the No. 2 duo of Mia Mata and Jaxie Tillman followed with a 21-14, 21-11 win. Lauren Herz and Isabella Marvin secured the team sweep at the No. 3 position, winning 21-11, 21-13.

TAMUT then faced a tough test against Park in their second pool play match, falling 3-0. Mata and Tillman battled at the No. 2 spot but came up short 21-11, 21-18, while Gabriela Garcia and Riley Mangan dropped their match at No. 4. Flor Lazo and Zoe Martinez rounded out the contest at No. 5.

In bracket play, the Eagles matched up with Mobile, ultimately falling 4-0 in a series of tightly contested matches. Herz and Marvin pushed their match to three sets at No. 3, while both the No. 4 and No. 5 pairs also forced decisive third sets, highlighting the competitive nature of the dual.

TAMUT responded in the consolation bracket, earning a 3-2 victory over Warner to secure a fifth-place finish. Mata and Tillman delivered a straight-set win at No. 2, while Riley Mangan and Zoe Martinez bounced back in dominant fashion at No. 4 after dropping the opening set. The deciding point came from Flor Lazo and Sinai Martinez at No. 5, who rallied for a three-set victory to clinch the match.

Despite a narrow loss at the No. 1 position, Blue and Dobreva battled through a tightly contested three-set match.

The fifth-place finish marks a strong close to the season for the Eagles, who demonstrated growth and competitiveness against a talented national field throughout the championship tournament.