OWINGS MILLS, Md. --- The Tusculum University men's beach volleyball team dropped a pair of close matches on day one of the Stevenson Invitational, falling 3-2 to both Erskine and Liberty.

The Black and Orange (0-2) rounds out the Stevenson Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 28) against the hosting Mustangs and a rematch with the Flying Fleet of Erskine.

Match 1: Erskine 3, Tusculum 2
Picking up the wins for the Pioneers were flights two and three.

Morgan Makovec and Aiden Roper teamed up, surviving a close three-set matchup: 29-27, 14-21, 16-14.

Tyler Morrison and Riley Wisniakowski made their collegiate debuts, sweeping their opposites by scores of 21-19, 21-16.

Deklan Wingo and Adam Svendsen dropped the top flight 21-11, 21-16.

At the 4's, Kai Williams and Reef Mathis fell 21-17, 21-15.

Rounding out the score was Joel Dubinsky and Patrick Gresham, recording a 21-19, 21-16 loss.

Match 2: Liberty 3, Tusculum 2
For the second-straight match, the 2's and 3's were victorious.

Makovec and Roper gutted out a 21-14, 10-21, 19-17 decision.

Morrison and Wisniakowski won in straight sets, 21-13, 21-17.

Wingo and Svendsen kept it close at the No. 1 flight but fell 21-18, 21-19.

Williams and Mathis pushed the 4's to a decisive third set, but came up short 20-22, 21-18, 10-15.

Dubinsky and Gresham nearly claimed a set, losing 27-25, 21-15.