OWINGS MILLS, Md. --- The Tusculum University men's beach volleyball team opened their inaugural campaign by going 3-3 on the first day of the USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge on Friday (Sept. 15).

Tusculum continues its weekend at Stevenson with matches on mid-day Saturday (Sept. 16) to determine seeding and eligibility for the single elimination portion of the event.

Kevin Blankenship and Joel Dubinsky have the honor of the first result in program history, fighting to a decisive third set. The pair narrowly fell to their Lincoln Memorial opposites by scores of 19-21, 21-13, 7-15. They picked up their first victory in match two, winning over Liberty 21-17, 22-20. Blankenship and Dubinsky return to the sand for a 10 a.m. showing versus last year's event champions from Penn State.

Colby Landry and Morgan Makovec made the impressive come-from-behind victory to upset the 10th-seeded pair from George Mason, rallying for a 9-21, 21-14, 16-14 overtime win. The duo ended the day with an identical 21-8, 21-8 loss to Stevenson. Landry and Makovec finish up pool play with a noon match against Daemen.

By virtue of a default, Thiago Da Silva and Noa Svendsen earned the first win for Tusculum as the pair from Liberty was a no-show. The No. 3 duo for the Pioneers dropped a 21-11, 21-13 decision to Vassar. Da Silva and Svendsen wrap up the round-robin against a duo hailing from Juniata.