KINGSVILLE, Texas — The University of New Mexico beach volleyball team registered a split against St. Edward’s and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday as its capped the two-day Javelina Battle on the Beach.
The Lobos (8-12) rounded out the penultimate weekend of the regular season at the Javelina Beach Courts, posting a 5-0 sweep of the Hilltoppers before falling 3-2 in a heartbreaker against the Islanders (9-7).
After entering the weekend winners of four of their last five matches, New Mexico left Texas with a split, winning two matches and losing two matches over the weekend.
UNM posted a pair of dominant sweeps against Abilene Christian and St. Edward’s in Kingsville, but balanced that against a pair of close defeats.
Nonetheless, the youthful Lobos had their chances, both on Saturday against tournament host Texas A&M-Kingsville — the reigning AVCA Division II National Champions — and on Sunday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Those setbacks belied the progress New Mexico had made over the last three weeks, which saw a number of pairs rack up the wins.
The Lobos look to bounce back next weekend in their season finale as they travel to Tucson, Arizona, for the Bear Down Bash.
New Mexico 5, St. Edward’s 0
New Mexico kicked off its Sunday with an early-morning showdown vs. the Division II Hilltoppers from St. Edward’s University.
But, despite taking the sand at 9 a.m. MT, the Lobos were ready for the task, sweeping St. Edward’s 5-0.
Kayla Long & Abbey Willison struck first, winning the No. 5 court 21-13, 21-14 over the Hilltoppers’ Madison Heald & Alexa McAndrew. Yasmin Tan & Emily Nenninger quickly followed with a two-set win of their own, dispatching Petra Bryda & Olivia Rome 21-12, 21-15 on the No. 4 court.
After the switch to the top-flight of courts, UNM remained hot en route to earning sweeps at all three positions.
On the No. 2 court, Eastyn Baleto & Lauren Twitty clinched the match for New Mexico with a handy 21-5, 21-9 win over Katarina Mendez & Julia Hartley, earning their eighth win in a row.
Although their streak ended vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Baleto & Twitty’s eight wins in a row sits alone as the third-longest winning streak by a pair in program history.
Carly Beddingfield & Mercedes Pacheco held off St. Edward’s Morgan Beckham & Kate Hendrix on the No. 3 court for a 21-17, 21-16 victory, while Maddie Irwin & Erin Martin finished off the match with a win at the No. 1 position, defeating Mikayla Parker & Maddie Miksch 21-14, 21-4.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3, New Mexico 2
Less than an hour after their win over St. Edward’s, New Mexico was back in the sand against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
And while the Lobos had opportunities to finish the weekend with a win, the Islanders proved to be too much as they defeated UNM 3-2.
New Mexico opened up the match with a win on the No. 4 court, where Tan & Nenninger teamed up for a 21-19, 21-7 win over A&M-Corpus Christi’s Kayla Walker & Maya Daukas.
But the Islanders would even up the dual moments later, as the Lobos’ Long & Willison lost 21-19, 21-15 to Naomi Overstreet & Jenna Krenek on the No. 5 court.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi then built a 2-1 lead in the match after Beddingfield & Pacheco fell at the No. 3 position, 21-13, 21-18 to Madi Fitzsimmons & Demi McInnis.
However, the Lobos would piece together a valiant comeback attempt that would fall just short.
Irwin & Martin tallied the equalizer on the No. 1 court, rallying past the Islanders’ Abigail Devido & Selina Marolf 18-21, 21-14, 15-6. For Irwin & Martin, it was their fourth win in a row and their ninth win over their last 11 matches.
They moved to 12-8 on the year, tied for the team lead in wins this season.
The dual then came down to Baleto & Twitty on the No. 2 court, where they faced off against Madison Green & Rachel Young. But Baleto & Twitty, who claimed their eighth straight win earlier against St. Edward’s, dropped a three-set battle, 19-21, 21-15, 15-12.
The duo is 12-5 on the season and 11-3 over their last 14 matches.
New Mexico 5, St. Edward’s 0
1. Erin Martin/Maddie Irwin (UNM) def. Mikayla Parker/Maddie Miksch (SEU) 21-14, 21-4
2. Lauren Twitty/Eastyn Baleto (UNM) def. Katarina Mendez/Julia Hartley (SEU) 21-5, 21-9
3. Carly Beddingfield/Mercedes Pacheco (UNM) def. Morgan Beckham/Kate Hendrix (SEU) 21-17, 21-16
4. Yasmin Tan/Emily Nenninger (UNM) def. Petra Bryda/Olivia Rome (SEU) 21-12, 21-15
5. Kayla Long/Abbey Willison (UNM) def. Madison Heald/Alexa McAndrew (SEU) 21-13, 21-14
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3, New Mexico 2
1. Erin Martin/Maddie Irwin (UNM) def. Abigail Devido/Selina Marolf (TAMUCC) 18-21, 21-14, 15-6
2. Madison Green/Rachel Young (TAMUCC) def. Lauren Twitty/Eastyn Baleto (UNM) 19-21, 21-15, 15-12
3. Madi Fitzsimmons/Demi McInnis (TAMUCC) def. Mercedes Pacheco/Carly Beddingfield (UNM) 21-13, 21-18
4. Yasmin Tan/Emily Nenninger (UNM) def. Kayla Walker/Maya Daukas (TAMUCC) 21-19, 21-7
5. Naomi Overstreet/Jenna Krenek (TAMUCC) def. Kayla Long/Abbey Willison (UNM) 21-19, 21-15
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2
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