BVB | Exciting First Year of ETBU Beach Volleyball Ends at National Tournament

TAVARES, Fla. – Finishing off the inaugural season for beach volleyball at the AVCA Small College Championships in Florida, East Texas Baptist University had an exciting first season under Allison Kuster. ETBU won six matches, hosted at classic, and had two home events while facing NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA programs. Their season ended with four matches against NCAA Division III competition at the national tournament.

ETBU played in four duels in NCAA Division III Silver Bracket at Hickory Point Beach facing Mary Hardin-Baylor, Lynchburg, and Berry College. They didn’t come away with a win but were competitive in all four matches against the top tier of the small college programs. 

Starting the year off in Kingsville, Texas, ETBU’s first two duels were against storied programs in Texas A&M-Kingsville and NCAA Division I Utah. They also faced Louisiana Monroe and Missouri Baptist in that same invitational.

The first win of the season came on March 17 over Oklahoma Wesleyan, 4-1, at the ETBU Beach VB Classic. Riley Tuck and Shelby Freudensprung won the first match at the number five match, 21-15, 21-9. Nadia Brockway and Libby Gear then took the number four match, 21-10, 21-11, to go up 2-0 in the first three matches. Hope Shipp and Mollee McCurley gave ETBU the match win at number three with a 21-14, 22-20 win over Ashlynn Farrell and Maddy McKinney. Ashley Salas and Madison McDonald earned the fourth point in three sets at the number one match, 21-15, 17-21, 15-5.  

ETBU then won five of their next seven duels and finished 5-2 at home in their first season.

The Tigers earned wins over Oklahoma Wesleyan (2), Ottawa University (2), Lynchburg, and Mary Hardin-Baylor for the six wins on the year. In the regular season, they also had six duels that they fell in by one match, 3-2. 

From that point on, ETBU traveled to invitationals in Georgia, Arkansas, and Texas rounding out the season before the national tournament in Florida. 

The first year of beach volleyball at ETBU was a joy and there is a bright future for the program under Kuster. Several of the players return for year two in 2024 as ETBU will look to build upon what was started this year.