Day one of the 2025 AVCA Small College Beach Championships began on Thursday for Wayne State College.
From Gulf Shores, Alabama, the Wildcats played two matches early in the day on April 17.
WSC opened pool play with a five-set victory against Tusculum University (TN) before suffering a 3-0 loss to #1 Concordia University Irvine (CA).
The Wildcats are now 14-3 on the season and recently had an 11-game winning streak snapped.
It marked the first time in five years competing at the event that the Wildcats were victorious in a pool play match and secured WSC a spot in the Silver bracket of the event, another first for the Wildcat beach volleyball program.
In the five-set victory over Tusculum University (TN), three of the five matches either went all three sets or extra points.
The match was decided by the 5’s pairing as seniors Brooke Peltz and Rhianna Wilhelm captured a nail-biting 21-13, 13-21, 16-14 win to give the ‘Cats the third and decisive pairings win.
Other Wildcat wins came from the 4’s duo of freshman Reese Johnson and sophomore Ella Myler, who went extra points to edge Tusculum’s Kyla Oppenhuis and Landry Tea 21-16, 22-20.
Wayne State’s #2 pairing of freshman Chloe Hanel and sophomore Channatee Robles earned the other Wildcat victory with a 21-18, 21-15 win.
During the loss against Concordia University Irvine (CA), the #1 pairing of junior Taylor Bunjer and freshman Ava Spies were defeated 21-11, 21-9. The 2’s duo of Chloe Hanel and Channatee Robles suffered a 21-10, 21-7 setback while the 4s team of Ella Myler and Reese Johnson fell by scores of 21-10, 21-10.
The Wayne State College beach volleyball team also had two pairs compete in the Challenge rounds on Thursday.
Sophomore Laney Kathol and freshman Anna Borner split their two matches in Pool B, dropping their first contest to Florida Southern’s Sophie Harris and Madeline Sanders 21-9, 21-17 but followed with a three-set win over Emmanuel (GA) Maya Hedden and Alondra Rios by scores of 19-21, 21-14, 15-8.
In Pool G, Wayne State’s sophomore Kaelyn Andersen and freshman Jolee Ryan also went 1-1 falling in the opener to Sarah Idler and Aubrey Wieser of Florida Southern 21-18, 21-18 and rebounded for a 21-16, 21-19 victory vs. Jenna Dupee and Luciana Hoffman from Huntingdon College in Alabama 21-16, 21-19.
