BATON ROUGE, La. --- The Tusculum University beach volleyball team finished up the Tiger Beach Challenge on Sunday (Mar. 5), winning the opener 3-2 against Central Arkansas before falling by the same score to Alabama Birmingham.
Tusculum (3-5) continues its lengthy road slate to start the season. The Pioneers have nearly two weeks off before a trip to Coastal Carolina awaits. The March 18 double feature is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
The 4's (Katie McLamb and Charlyn Miller) and 5's (Landry Tea and Riley Rushing) had a perfect day in the sand, going 2-0.
Match 1: Tusculum 3, Central Arkansas 2
The Pioneers won their second contest over a Division I program this season with the narrow victory over the Bears.
Emma Johnson and Hannah Marsh won their opening third flight matchup by scores of 21-14, 21-18.
McLamb and Miller tallied a 21-14, 21-19 showing to begin their successful day.
Tea and Rushing battled out a 21-19, 21-15 victory over their respective opposites.
Kassidy Mercado and Morgan Pacione suffered a 21-15, 21-16 top flight loss.
Kyla Oppenhuis and Jordyn Anderson nearly pulled off a comeback at No. 2, but were on the wrong side of a three-set match, 14-21, 21-14, 10-15.
Katie Murphy and Sofia Richmond split their two complete sets in the exhibition flight but the contest was left unfinished, 21-19, 8-21.
Match 2: UAB 3, Tusculum 2
The match came down to the No. 3 flight in a three-set grind, but the Blazers were able to withstand the Pioneers.
Johnson and Marsh finished the event with a 13-21, 21-15, 8-15 setback.
At No. 5, Tea and Rushing won by identical set scores of 21-14, 21-14.
As the 4's, McLamb and Miller earned the second TU point with a 21-16, 21-14 victory.
Mercado and Pacione fell 21-11, 21-14, while Oppenhuis and Anderson tallied 12 points in their 21-8, 21-4 loss.
Addison Williams and Sage Dunne were tabbed for the exhibition sixth flight, but their match also went unfinished with scores of 21-15, 8-15.
