KINGSVILLE, Texas – The UTEP Beach Volleyball team (5-2, 2-0 Conference USA) kicked off the Javelina Beach Showdown in style on Friday, securing two victories to open the tournament. The Miners powered past Conference USA opponent Tarleton State, 4-1, before grinding out a hard-fought 3-2 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Match 1: UTEP 4, Tarleton State 1
UTEP set the tone early, winning four straight matches to clinch the victory over Tarleton State. The Miners' pairs on courts 1-4 delivered strong performances, with all four duos sweeping their opponents. Tarleton managed to take a three-set win on Court 5, but the Miners had already secured the match.
| Results (order of finish: 4,2,1*,3,5) |
| 1) |
UTEP (Krista Paegle/Paulina Acuna) def. TSU (Emma Halcomb/Allison Bryant) |
21-15, 21-15 |
| 2) |
|
21-17, 21-19 |
| 3) |
|
21-15, 21-14 |
| 4) |
UTEP (Lauren Perry/Emma Schubert) def. TSU (Hayden Huber/Sofia Bedele) |
21-18, 21-11 |
| 5) |
TSU (Charlize Ching/Olivia Fuentes) def. UTEP (Katie Call/Averie Threet) |
21-17, 17-21, 21-19 |
Match 2: UTEP 3, Texas A&M-Kingsville 2
In a back-and-forth battle, UTEP came out on top against a determined Texas A&M-Kingsville squad. The Miners jumped ahead with a sweep on Court 2, but the Javelinas answered with a win on Court 4. UTEP then regained the lead on Court 3, only for Texas A&M-Kingsville to tie it again at 2-2 with a victory on Court 5. The decisive point came down to UTEP's No. 1 pair, who clinched the match in a thrilling three-set contest.
| Results (order of finish: 2,4,3,5,1*) |
| 1) |
UTEP (Krista Paegle/Paulina Acuna) def. TAMK (Rylan Pollard/Liana Huesca) |
18-21, 21-11, 15-10 |
| 2) |
|
21-16, 21-18 |
| 3) |
|
21-10, 21-18 |
| 4) |
TAMK (Meghan Stiefer/Emma Daugherty) def. UTEP (Lauren Perry/Emma Schubert) |
21-18, 21-18 |
| 5) |
TAMK (Elizabeth Williams/Clara Presmanes) def. UTEP (Adriana Oporto/Mackenzi Davis) |
21-15, 12-21, 16-14 |
"Today was a fun day of volleyball," head coach Daniel Foo said. "We beat Tarleton 4-1, and it's always good to get a conference win. We are still trying to figure things out, and I was proud to see this team fight and win 3-2 against a good Javelina squad. We are working hard to continue our winning ways."
Up Next
UTEP continues action at the Javelina Beach Showdown on Saturday, March 1, with matchups against Colorado Mesa at 7 AM MT and Wayland Baptist at 11 AM MT.
Give a gift to UTEP Beach Volleyball by donating to the Point Miners Club.
For complete coverage of UTEP Beach Volleyball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at UTEP Beach Volleyball (Facebook), @utepbeachvb (Instagram) and @UTEPBeachVB (Twitter) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
