YOUNGSVILLE, La. – Thursday marks an exciting day for Tarleton Athletics as their inaugural Beach Volleyball program will take action in Youngsville, Louisiana, to compete in the 2024 Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship.
The 2024 Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championship will play from Thursday-Saturday at the Youngsville Sports Complex (Sugar Beach). The event will feature all nine CUSA beach volleyball programs.
The three-day event opens with eight matches on Thursday beginning at 8:30 a.m. with 8-seed Tarleton State taking on 9-seed Jacksonville State. The format is a double-elimination bracket with a single-elimination championship match. Friday will feature six matches followed by two matches on Championship Saturday with the final scheduled for 11 a.m.
“The girls have grown so much individually and as pairs within the span of four months,” head coach Tatyana Tuialii-Umi said. “I’ve been very impressed with how we’ve been handling the growing pains and how we’ve made it a point of emphasis to get better each match, regardless of what that looks like on the scoreboard.
“All we’re focusing on heading into this tournament is playing to our strengths, making quick adjustments, and applying pressure to every skill set and contact on the ball,” Tuialii-Umi continued. “We’re looking forward to finishing off our inaugural season strong.”
Tarleton State enters the tournament sitting at 1-11 overall in its first year of competition. The Texans claimed their first program victory on Feb. 24 against Nicholls State in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Jacksonville State enters the match at 0-10 this season.
Tarleton State will feature Emma Halcomb and Allison Bryant on Court 1, Breanna McDonough and Grayson Schirpik on Court 2, Isabel Gonzaba and Sydney Garrison on Court 3, Charlize Ching and Melina Maldonado Ortiz on Court 4, and Faith Wilkins with Rajini Fitzmaurice on Court 5.
Halcomb and Bryant hold the best pair record for the team at 6-6, all on the top court.
If victorious in their early morning matchup with Jax State, then the Texans will advance to play their second match of the day (fifth match of Day 1 of the tournament) against 1-seed TCU at 2:30 p.m. The Horned Frogs have a 25-7 record and are ranked sixth nationally in the AVCA rankings.
If the Texans are unsuccessful in their first match, they will be put into the Contender’s Bracket. They would face off against the loser between 2-seed FIU and 7-seed Missouri State at 4 p.m. FIU is No. 14 in the AVCA national rankings.
Tarleton State could play three matches on Thursday. If the Texans win the first and lose the second, they would play the third at 5:30 p.m. If they lose the first and win the second, then they would play their third match at 7 p.m.
There will not be streaming or live scoring for matches on Thursday. All matches on Friday and Saturday will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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