OKLAHOMA CITY – Competing for an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, Texas Wesleyan University made an impressive run at the Central States Conference Beach Volleyball Tournament, held at the Boom Box Beach Club in Oklahoma City.
In the tournament's round-robin opening match, Texas Wesleyan dominated Oklahoma Wesleyan University, winning five of six pairings in straight sets. The Rams' No. 1 duo, Kali Liva and Victoria Smith, continued their strong play with a tight 22-20, 21-19 win over Allison Howard and Maddy McKinney. Emily White and Emily Lewis cruised to a 21-18, 21-13 victory at the No. 2 spot, while Holland Hancock and Amber Smart followed suit at No. 3, winning 21-19, 21-18. Reagan Fitzsimmons and Hope Miller controlled the No. 4 match with a 21-12, 21-14 win, and Grace Pavelka and Audrey Rogers sealed the sweep at No. 5, taking down their opponents 21-12, 21-19. The only setback came in the exhibition match at the exhibition spot, where Mayara Swillens and Lauren Richards fell in three sets, 20-22, 21-17, 6-15.
Texas Wesleyan followed up with a narrow 3-2 victory over Ottawa in one of the most competitive matchups of the tournament. Liva and Smith dominated again with a 21-10, 21-5 win, while White and Lewis overcame an opening-set loss to win their match in three sets. Pavelka and Rogers added a straight-set win at No. 5. Despite losses at No. 3 and No. 4, the Rams secured the overall match victory with clutch performances at the top and bottom of the lineup.
In the semifinal round, Texas Wesleyan edged Wayland Baptist, 3-2, to punch their ticket to the championship match. After losing the first set, Liva and Smith rallied for a 15-21, 21-19, 15-7 win. Hancock and Smart contributed a hard-fought three-set win at No. 3 (21-11, 16-21, 15-9), and Pavelka and Rogers clinched the deciding point with a 21-19, 14-21, 15-8 win at No. 5. Wayland Baptist claimed matches at No. 2 and No. 4, but the Rams' depth proved decisive.
Texas Wesleyan's run ended in the championship match, falling 3-1 to a strong Park University (MO) team. Liva and Smith delivered the Rams' lone victory with a 21-10, 21-18 win over Izabella Ceratti and Bailey Turner, capping off an outstanding tournament performance. Park claimed victories at the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 pairs, while the No. 5 match between Pavelka/Rogers and Rodriquez/Gomez was declared a 1-0 DNF in Park's favor due to reaching three victories first. In an additional exhibition match, Park's Maria Pim and Abi Williams defeated Swillens and Richards in straight sets, 23-21, 21-16.
