CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The UTEP Beach Volleyball team (9-8) kicked off the Islanders Classic with an impressive performance, clinching a hard-fought, nail-biting 3-2 win over Stephen F. Austin. Despite this early success, UTEP faced a tough challenge from nationally ranked Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, succumbing to a 5-0 defeat at Water's Edge Park.
Match 1: UTEP 3, Stephen F. Austin 2
Katie Martin and Marian Ovalle set the tone with an impressive sweep on court 3, marking the first scoreboard entry for the Miners. Their stellar performance was swiftly echoed by Madison Hill and Summer McDonough, who secured another sweep on court 2, granting UTEP a commanding 2-0 lead. However, SFA didn't back down, leveling the match with two hard-fought three-set victories on courts 1 and 5. With tension mounting, Mila Popovic and Ema Uskokovic rose to the occasion on court 4, delivering a thrilling three-set triumph that ultimately clinched the match for UTEP.
Results (Order of finish: 3, 2, 1, 5, 4*)
1. Hall/Hangen (SFA) def. Krista Paegle/Paulina Acuna (UTEP) 21-10, 19-21, 15-12
2. McDonough/Hill (UTEP) def. Elder/Amador (SFA) 21-19, 21-12
3. Martin/Ovalle (UTEP) def. Gulledge/Dowd (SFA) 21-17, 21-15
4. Uskokovic/Popovic (UTEP) def. Pagan/Ledbetter (SFA) 21-19, 11-21, 15-13
5. Higgins/Myers (SFA) def. Alexis Massey/Adriana Oporto (UTEP) 21-13, 15-21, 15-7
Match 2: #20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5, UTEP 0
In a challenging matchup against the AMCC, UTEP's beach volleyball team faced a formidable opponent as the Islanders' top three courts clinched the match. Despite UTEP's efforts, courts 4 and 5 favored the Islanders, securing a comprehensive 5-0 sweep.
Results (Order of finish: 3, 2, 1*, 4, 5)
1. Bobay/Morrow (AMCC) def. Paegle/Acuna (UTEP) 21-19, 21-16
2. Dodd/Tome (AMCC) def. McDonough/Hill (UTEP) 21-12, 21-17
3. Doyle/Young (AMCC) def. Martin/Ovalle (UTEP) 21-13, 21-14
4. Jordan/Johnson (AMCC) def. Uskokovic/Popovic (UTEP) 21-16, 21-17
5. Cortez/Moreno (AMCC) def. Massey/Oporto (UTEP) 21-19, 21-10
UP NEXT
The Miners will take on UT Martin at 8 a.m. MDT and Texas at 10:30 a.m. MDT on day two of the Islanders Classic.
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