CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Southeastern Louisiana University beach volleyball team closed out day two of the 2026 Southland Conference Beach Volleyball Tournament, suffering a 3-0 loss against No. 1 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Southeastern (17-15, 4-2 SLC) fell in a tough battle versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (22-9, 6-0 SLC), in its first semifinal appearance in program history. The Sandy Lions looked to carry over its day one momentum, but the Islanders took control early to advance to the championship match.
SLU dropped its first match of the afternoon as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's pair one gained a commanding 21-13, 21-15 victory to set the tone. The green and gold worked to regroup as pair three Emmaleigh Vincent and Carley Petty battled to stay within reach in the first set, putting up a tough fight against the Islanders. Petty and Vincent continued to keep Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on its toes extending the second set, but ultimately the hosts prevailed to claim a 21-17, 24-22 win.
The Sandy Lions fought to reset as pair two Mia McKinney and Maggie Paiva worked to gain an edge over the Islanders. Southeastern battled as its pair four and five stayed in a tight race against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but the hosts' pair two attained a spark of momentum to seal the deal with a 21-13, 21-11 victory. The final two matches were marked unfinished as the Islanders claimed the 3-0 sweep.
SLU will return to the sand Friday at 9 a.m. with an opportunity to bounce back against fourth-seed Houston Christian. With a win, Southeastern could advance to the championship game in a rematch against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1 p.m. Friday's matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats, provided by the hosts, can be accessed on the beach volleyball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
Thursday's Results:
GOLDEN SAND CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern beach volleyball program are encouraged to join the Golden Sand Club. Lion beach volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
All membership fees and donations to the Golden Sand Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern beach volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.lionsports.net/sports/2026/1/29/golden-sand-club.aspx.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpBeach on Twitter, @LionUpBeach on Instagram, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
