GULF SHORES, Ala.— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks ended the 2026 beach volleyball season a positive note winning both of their matches to take the Silver Bracket title at the AVCA Small College Beach Championships on Sunday here at Gulf Shores Public Beach.
The Mavericks went 5-1 throughout the weekend and finish their season with a 19-9 overall record. They took fifth place overall in the 3-day tournament.
On Sunday, the Mavs got past Carson-Newman for the third time this season by a 3-1 score in the semifinals of the silver bracket before edging Palm Beach Atlantic by a 3-2 score in final.
The Mavs had gone 3-1 in Pool B play over the previous two days.
CMU had to rally against the Carson-Newman Eagles, who finished the season with a 33-4 record. Three of their four losses were to the Mavs, who had won two regular season match-ups in Franklin Springs, Georgia last month.
In Sunday's encounter, the Eagles claimed the No. 5 match before
Mikala Henderson and
Addie Ritterbush pulled out a pair of 21-19 set wins at No. 3 to level the dual.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks' top two pairs had to come from a set behind to propel the Mavs to victory.
Ewelina Gacek and
Ania Swartzendruber won at No. 2 by a 16-21, 21-18, 15-10 margin over Emerson Ahsmuhs and Ava Potts while
Ellie Ask and
Gracyn Spresser claimed a 12-21, 21-14, 15-9 win over Trinity Hafey and Paige Halcrow in the top flight.
The No. 4 match ended right at the same time as that win.
Against the PBA Sailfish (21-16), the Mavericks relied on the bottom half of their line up scratching out straight-set wins at No. 4 and 5 by a combined ten points before Gacek and Swartzendruber outlasted Maddie Kremer and Katelyn Nadeau in come-from-behind fashion to take a 14-21, 21-18, 15-12 clinching win at No. 2.
Gacek and Swartzendruber finished the weekend with a 4-0 record along with two unfinished matches.
Meanwhile,
Lauren Rohlwing and
Regan Rothley finished with a 5-0 record as they were 21-19, 21-17 winners over Zoye Caroline and Maggie Cox at No. 4.
Avery Malek and
Jada Whitall, who were in the Mavs' team lineup for the first time of the weekend after going 2-0 to win their pool in Friday's Pairs Challenge, were also victorious in the fifth flight. They scratched out a 23-21, 21-19 win over Grace Reynolds and Savanna Rogers.
