GULF SHORES, Ala.— The Colorado Mesa University beach volleyball team split its two Saturday afternoon matches and took second in Pool B at the AVCA Small College Beach Championships with a 3-1 record.
The Mavericks, now 17-9 overall, lost in heart-breaking fashion to Saint Leo by a 3-2 count but rallied for a 3-0 sweep of Erskine later in the afternoon.
They will now play in the Silver Bracket on Sunday facing Carson-Newman in the morning semifinals before facing either Spring Hill or Palm Beach Atlantic in their final match of the season on Sunday afternoon. Those teams also finished second in their respective pools.
The Mavs went 2-0 against the Carson-Newman Eagles during the regular season, posting a pair of 5-0 wins over them during the spring break trip.
The Mavericks held a 2-0 lead in the dual against Saint Leo, before the Lions (24-7) rallied back with three tight wins to take the win, which ended up being the Pool B decider.
Ewelina Gacek and
Ania Swartzendruber were the first to post a victory as their Lion opponents retired due to injury in the No. 2 bout. Gacek and Swartzendruber were leading 21-11, 9-3 at the time.
The Mavs then went up 2-0 as
Lauren Rohlwing and
Regan Rothley completed a convincing 21-15, 21-8 win at No. 4.
However, the Lions got on the board with a 21-18, 21-18 win from Thalie Brossard and Emma Laade at No. 1. They then won the dual with 3-set wins at No. 3 and No. 5.
Erin Johnson and Paula Perez Rosales delivered the first of those wins in the third fight as they pulled out a 23-21, 13-21, 15-13 win over CMU's
Mikala Henderson and
Addie Ritterbush.
Just after, Paige Reeves and Abby VanBuskirk claimed a 23-21, 16-21, 15-10 win over CMU's
Ava Blanco and
Stormi Tadlock.
The Mavericks were able to bounce back nicely in the match against Erskine, which fell to 14-19 overall and to 1-3 in the pool.
The Mavs won at No. 2, 3 and 4 as the other two matches were left unfinished.
Gacek and Swartzendruber were 21-16, 21-18 victors over Ella Dietrich and Elisa Vigneron while Henderson and Ritterbush bounced back for a 21-7, 29-27 thriller over Mackenzie Fa'apouli and Hannah Platt.
Rohlwing and Rothley also improved to 4-0 on the weekend with a 21-15, 21-12 victory over the Fleet's Elly Davis and Alyssa Owens.
