Texan Beach Volleyball rolls in season-opening matches to start 2025 2-0

• Box Score, Tarleton State vs. Texas Wesleyan
• Box Score, Tarleton State vs. Wayland Baptist
• Stats After Both Matches

KINGSVILLE – There are growing pains for any brand-new program, but Tarleton State Beach Volleyball looks to already be much improved from the inaugural season with a dominant showing on the first day of the 2025 campaign.

The Texans (2-0) rolled through Texas Wesleyan 4-1 and Wayland Baptist 5-0 to match its full season win total of two across all of their inaugural campaign in 2024.

Tarleton State faced a pair of other new teams on Friday at the Javelina Beach Classic in Kingsville, taking on second-year Texas Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and first-year Wayland Baptist at noon.

Tarleton’s four returners all went undefeated on the first day of the two-day event, including the Texan top court of Emma Halcomb and Allison Bryant, who led the Texans last season at 7-6 overall. The seniors started 2-0 with wins over Texas Wesleyan’s Kali Liva and Victoria Smith 21-18 21-9, followed by a three-set win over Wayland Baptist’s Emily Buchberger and Selma Sutaj 21-9 17-21 15-7.

Grayson Schirpik, one of Tarleton’s returners, had a strong debut with freshman Bella Parayno on Court 2. The pair won under pressure in the morning match with a three-set win over Texas Wesleyan’s Emily Lewis and Emily White 21-12 17-21 15-13. Schirpik and Parayno then dominated Match No. 2 over Wayland Baptist’s Carlee Heidebrecht and Martyna Lewinska 21-12 21-10.

On Court 3, the Texans featured two transfers in Amaya Brown and Christian Mitchell. The pair went 2-0 for a perfect birthday gift for the senior Brown, a three-set win over Texas Wesleyan’s Holand Hancock and Amber Smart 21-15 15-21 15-12, followed by a 21-12 21-11 sweep over Wayland Baptist’s Jordan Schlageter and Deniz Yileri.

Court 4 also featured new Texan transfers in Jayda Harris-Amete and Hayden Huber. Tarleton lost the morning match to Texas Wesleyan’s Reagan Fitzimmons and Hope Miller 19-21 14-21, but responded with a 21-10 21-19 win against Wayland Baptist’s Frida Espeseth and Henry Soquet-Bress.

Texan returner Charlize Ching paired up with freshman Olivia Fuentes on Court 5, going 2-0 against Texas Wesleyan’s Makenna Gantt and Grace Pavelka 21-10 21-14 and Wayland Baptist’s Averi Penner and Luiza Valentim 21-10 21-14.

Tarleton State now owns two victories, a feat the Texans didn’t accomplish until April 25 of last year.

The Texans will finish their run at the Javelina Beach Classic on Saturday with matches against Mary Hardin-Baylor at 12 p.m. and the host Texas A&M-Kingsville at 4 p.m. Those teams went a combined 44-15 (.746) last season. The Cru finished 26-4 and 9-0 in conference play, winning the American Volleyball Coaches Association Small College Beach Division III Championship. Texas A&M-Kingsville finished 18-11 overall, winning the AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships Silver Bracket.

There will not be live scoring or a stream at the Javelina Beach Classic. Results and updates can be found at Tarleton State Beach Volleyball’s social media accounts and www.tarletonsports.com.