Dakota Webb
The beach volleyball season has started, and the Mocs are taking to the courts.
The team traveled to Eckerd College and Stetson University for its first round of tournaments.
At the Battle on the Bay hosted by Eckerd, the Mocs took a four to one loss by Tampa in the first match of the day. Later, they brought the heat as they played against Webber International, ultimately resulting in a three to two loss.
Although the Mocs didn’t win a match, Lauren Kenny and Kayla Trefren won a set against Tampa 21 to 12, 19 to 21 and 15 to 11.
Sydney Marshall and Makena Wilson also won a set in the match against Webber International, 21 to 17 and 24 to 22, along with Katie Bergeron and Kayla Dumon, who won 21 to 12 and 21 to 19.
The Mocs returned to the sand the following day, making history as they pulled a win against Morehead State. This set the bar high for the Mocs, as they had to play against Eckerd in their last match at the Battle on the Bay tournament.
Although the Mocs were defeated by Eckerd four to one, Marshall and Wilson won a set at the number three spot. The Mocs never gave up their fight as Emily Jones and Morgan Cleary played a total of three sets, each one being within a few points from winning the set.
After getting a taste of the sand courts away from home, the Mocs played their first home game on March 17 against Stevenson and Saint Leo.
The Mocs set the standards high during their first match of the day when they won by one point, ending the game with a final score of three to two.
In the match against Saint Leo, the Mocs played tough as the Lions advanced by two points, with Sydney Marshall and Makena Wilson catching up and making the score two to one. However, as the game came to a close, the Mocs trailed by three points, resulting in a four to one loss, updating the Mocs overall score two to six for the season.
The beach team will play again March 21 against Florida Atlantic University and St. Petersburg College.
Following those games, the Mocs will play Eckerd, Florida International University, and Saint Leo on March 24, all away.
The Mocs will return to the home courts, Ruthven Beach, March 27 with matches against Lincoln Memorial at 12 p.m. and Tampa at 4 p.m.
The match against Lincoln memorial, along with the match against Tampa, will serve as Passport credit for those who still need to fulfill their School Pride requirements.