Beach Volleyball Goes 3-1 at ETBU Tiger Invite

MARSHALL, Texas – The Texas A&M University–Texarkana beach volleyball team delivered a dominant showing this weekend at the ETBU Tiger Invite, earning three convincing wins and finishing 3-1 overall at the ETBU Beach Volleyball Courts.

The Eagles opened the tournament on Friday with a pair of impressive 5–0 sweeps over Concordia (Texas) and Howard Payne, setting the tone early with strong performances across every court.

Against Concordia, TAMUT controlled the match from start to finish, with all five pairs winning in straight sets. The No. 1 duo of Paulina Dobreva and Mia Mata led the way with a 21–15, 21–10 victory, while the Eagles also earned decisive wins at the No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 flights to secure the shutout victory.

The Eagles carried that momentum into the afternoon matchup with Howard Payne, once again sweeping the match 5–0. Dobreva and Mata earned another win at the top flight, while Leanne Blue and Jaxie Tillman, Bella Marvin and Lauren Herz, and Flor Lazo and Zoe Martinez all posted straight-set victories. Gabi Garcia and Riley Mangan battled through a three-set thriller at No. 5 to complete the second sweep of the day.

TAMUT returned to the sand on Saturday and continued its strong play with a 4–1 win over Huntingdon College. The Eagles won four matches that all required three sets, showing resilience across the lineup. Dobreva and Mata secured the win at No. 1 after dropping the opening set, while Blue and Tillman, Marvin and Herz, and Lazo and Martinez also rallied to earn key three-set victories.

The Eagles closed the weekend against host East Texas Baptist, falling 4–1 in a tightly contested matchup. Bella Marvin and Lauren Herz picked up the lone point for TAMUT with a straight-set victory at the No. 3 flight (21–16, 21–18). Three other courts pushed to a decisive third set, including the No. 1 pair of Dobreva and Mata, who narrowly fell 15–13 in the final frame, along with hard-fought efforts from Blue and Tillman at No. 2 and Lazo and Martinez at No. 4.

Across the four matches, the Eagles posted a strong 15–5 individual match record, highlighted by dominant performances throughout the lineup. Dobreva and Mata, Blue and Tillman, and Marvin and Herz each turned in standout weekends, helping power TAMUT to three team victories.