FORT WAYNE, Ind. --- The Tusculum University women's beach volleyball team made history Friday, winning its inaugural contest as the Pioneers split a pair of matches on opening day of the 2019 Principia College Beach Bash.
Tusculum (1-1), who is competing in its first season of NCAA beach volleyball, was victorious in its first time out, winning 5-0 over Principia. The Panthers opened their season earlier on Friday with a 3-2 win over Carson-Newman.
Later in the day, Morehead State University improved to 2-0 on the young season with a 5-0 win over the Pioneers.
Tusculum 5, Principia 0
All five Tusculum tandems picked up victories in the Pioneers' sweep over the Panthers with the top-four flights all having to go the distance requiring a third set.
The No. 4 duo of Gabby Gray and Skyellar Hall captured Tusculum's first-ever point battling from a set down to win 18-21, 21-18, 15-5 over the Principia pairing of Amanda Roberts and Victoria Vandiver.
The top-flight tandem of Lana Vujosevic and Melissa Mazur won 21-15, 15-21, 15-12 over the duo of Hayden Warner and Devon Marunde.
TU's Marissa Morgan and Haley Davis also won a three-set marathon over Sophia Hathaway and Nikki Matters by scores of 21-18, 15-21, 15-13.
Lydia Collins and Jordan Zaleski won 21-12, 20-22, 15-12 at the third flight against Principia's Mesa Goebel and Sarah Ungerleider.
Tusculum's Danika Chaney and Catherine Clingan capped the scoring for TU winning in straight sets, 22-20, 21-19.
Morehead State 5, Tusculum 0
The Morehead State Eagles completed a 5-0 sweep over Tusculum but had to go to three-sets in two of the contests.
The Eagles, who are fielding a beach volleyball team for a third year, were tested throughout by the scrappy young Pioneers, as the second and third flights went the distance.
At the fourth flight, MSU's Liz Allen and Hannah Mabrey won the opening set over Gray and Hall by a 23-21 score. The TU duo struck back with a 21-19 win in the second set to level the match. But the Eagles won the third set 15-12.
Morehead's Margaret Musselman and Olivia Lohmeier fell behind 21-19 after the first set against Davis and Morgan, but the Eagles rallied winning 21-14 and 15-7 to claim the point.
The Eagles claimed straight set wins in the remaining contests to remain undefeated.
The Pioneers will play in day two of the Principia Beach Bash on Saturday taking on Carson-Newman University at 1 p.m. followed by a 4 p.m. contest against Stevenson University.
