By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COLUMBIA, S.C. – It was a day of learning for the Tennessee Tech beach volleyball team, as the Golden Eagles wrapped up the first day of action at the Carolina Challenge Friday afternoon, hosted by South Carolina at Wheeler Beach.
The purple and gold fell in the first tilt of the day to the host Gamecocks (5-4), 5-0, in the second match of the tournament. Returning to the sand later in the afternoon, the Golden Eagles (3-3) dropped another 5-0 decision at the hands of Eastern Kentucky (6-4).
"It was a tough day today," Tech head coach Zach Weinberg explained. "South Carolina and EKU are both very good, experienced teams that pushed us more than we've ever been pushed before. We had some good moments throughout the day, but ultimately not enough of them to impact the result of the duals. I'm looking forward to seeing us respond and raise our level of play tomorrow."
The Golden Eagles showed significant fight in their battle with Eastern Kentucky later in the day, with several sets coming down the wire. At the No. 4 position, the duo of McKenna Young and Ava Schubert, who made her beach collegiate debut earlier in the morning, fell in a tight, 21-19 first set. They later succumbed to a 21-16 decision in set two.
Moving into the No. 3 slot, Brooke Amann and Aleeya Jones teamed up to nearly pick up a point, falling 21-19 in the opening set. They two would be upended in the second set, this time 21-15.
Tech's No. 2 combo of Skylar Boom and MK Roberts provided the top moment of the day for the purple and gold, registering a 21-18 victory in the opening set with their Colonel counterparts. EKU rallied to take the final two sets, however, securing a 5-0 win.
Day two of action at the Carolina Challenge is slated to kick off at 8:00 a.m. CT for the Golden Eagles on Sunday morning, taking on North Florida in the first dual of the day. Tech wraps up play with a 2:00 p.m. match-up with New Orleans.
File photo by UT Martin Sports Information
