Tech Beach opens OVC Championships Thursday with UT Martin
MARTIN, Tenn. – It’s a brand new start for Tennessee Tech beach volleyball as the Golden Eagles head to UT Martin on Thursday to open the Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championships. The Golden Eagles will take on tournament host and No. 3-seed UT Martin with the match scheduled for a Noon start. The winner will advance to take on No. 2 Lindenwood at 3 PM on Thursday, while the loser will face the losing side of No. 1 Chattanooga and No. 4 Morehead State/No. 5 Eastern Illinois at 10 AM on Friday as they try to work their way back into the winner’s bracket.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
MARTIN, Tenn. – It's a brand new start for Tennessee Tech beach volleyball as the Golden Eagles head to UT Martin on Thursday to open the Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championships.
The Golden Eagles will take on tournament host and No. 3-seed UT Martin with the match scheduled for a Noon start. The winner will advance to take on No. 2 Lindenwood at 3 PM on Thursday, while the loser will face the losing side of No. 1 Chattanooga and No. 4 Morehead State/No. 5 Eastern Illinois at 10 AM on Friday as they try to work their way back into the winner's bracket.
The tournament will be streamed on ESPN+.
Tech fell 5-0 in both meetings with UT Martin. On March 28 at the OVC weekend in Chattanooga, Alanah Craig and Audrey Kilgore were able to take a set away from the Skyhawks to take Kristin Phillips and Bella Heyne to a third and deciding set.
While the final tally was the same on the April 17 meeting with UTM in Morehead, the scores were tighter as four sets were decided by six or fewer points with MK Roberts and Vivian RoBards making a 21-15 and 21-16 push to dethrone the Skyhawks' No. 1 pair Riley Rushing and Kayla Bryant.
Roberts and RoBards stand as the Golden Eagles' top duo this season, winning eight matches from the No. 1 spot, while Maggie Kamp and Zoe Mish have a 7-5 record.
The Skyhawks finished 7-3 in the OVC this season. The pairs of Rushing and Dylan Sulcer at No. 1 and Bryant and Reagan McGee at No. 2 both went 9-3, while Luli Arcucci and Lauren Mariscal went 10-8 at No. 3 and Andie Kryak and Amara Traiger were 13-4 at No. 4.
Lindenwood finished 7-3 in the OVC. The pairs of Nyah Wilson/Susanna Beretti and Abby Jacobs/Annalie McWhorter went 15-6, while Gabby Belcher and Aubrey Sheppard went 16-6.
Regular-season champion Chattanooga went a perfect 10-0 in league play and 21-4 overall. McKenna Faychak and Maddie Lecik went 18-5 at No. 1, while Julia Lawrence and Corina Vale went 17-6 at No. 2. Ansley Gulledge and Sydney Jackwin went 18-5 at No. 3, while Taylor Clark and Ashli McKenny went 22-2 at No. 4 and Madeline McCabe and Ava Goryl went 19-2 at No. 5.
Morehead State went 7-3 in the OVC with M.E. Hargan and Bella Marita posting an 8-7 record at No. 1 and Sarah Heath and Shea Hefner at 9-6 in the No. 2 spot.
Eastern Illinois went 2-8 in the conference.
