BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of Central Arkansas dropped two tough matches on the road to open up things at the Tiger Beach Challenge in Baton Rouge. The losses drop UCA to 0-6 to start the 2024 campaign.
UCA 0 – Tulane 5
The Green Wave earned votes in this week's poll, and Tulane flashed that prowess by blanking the Bears in the early match on Saturday. UCA's No. 1 pair of Brooke Kuball and Katie Atkinson made it incredibly close in the first set, but were unable to keep pace in the second, and ultimately, the Green Wave were able to overpower the Bears on Saturday morning. UCA now falls to 0-7 all-time against Tulane, including losses in five consecutive seasons.
UCA 0 – Texas A&M – Corpus Christi 5
In the early evening, the Bears were once again held without a doubles win, this time by the Islanders. Kuball and Atkinson were once again able to keep a set close, but were not able to force a third set. The Beach Bears' No. 2 pair Anna Collums and Payton Sproule were also able to keep the Islanders within reach at 21-18, but they ultimately were overpowered in the second set. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi now holds a 5-3 advantage in the series, including five straight wins that encompass the past two years.
The Beach Bears will be back in action on Sunday, March 3rd at 10:00 a.m. against the 6-2 Nebraska Cornhuskers and then will cap things off in Baton Rouge with the 3-3 Southern Miss Golden Eagles at 3:00 p.m. To keep up with all things Beach Bears, follow along on Twitter/X at @UCABeachVB
