The 2019 season has officially begun for the TCU beach volleyball team as it spent the past weekend playing hard-fought matches in Boca Raton, Florida.

The Horned Frogs fell short the first day of the tournament and lost a hard-fought fight against No. 20 FAU and UNF, but the following day the team was able to turn it around and win both matches against Webber International and Florida Southern.

Mandi Orellana and Haven Hill picked up the first win of the weekend with a 21-17, 21-15 battle against UNF’s Nicole DeBolt and Madilyn McCarty. 

In another separate matchup against UNF, TCU’s No. 1 pair of Jaelyn Greene and Victoria McDonald were able to force a third set against Antonia Harrison and Chaney Howard but ended up falling 21-15, 19-21 and 15-7.

“We knew coming into this weekend that it was going to be tough because it is always windy playing in Boca Raton,” head coach Hector Guiterriz said. “FAU and UNF are very familiar playing in the wind, so it was hard for us to play our best against more experienced teams under those conditions.

On day two, the Horned Frogs (2-2) got ahead of Webber (3-2) fairly early on and kept up the high energy for the rest of the tournament.

The Horned Frogs were able to successfully sweep Webber International and Florida Southern to end their weekend. 

“We adjusted very well the second day and I’m confident this weekend will help us later in the season,” Guiterrez said.

 The No. 4 pair of Caroline White and Hannah Rogers led the way by winning 21-9, 21-9 against Webber’s Molly Fusarelli and Julia Ferraro. The rest of the pairs continued the winning streak, as TCU fought hard to keep it at a two set minimum the entire match.

TCU’s Jaelyn Greene and Victoria McDonald were the only pair to play a third set on the second day of the tournament. They were still able to come out on top as they won the match 21-8, 22-24, 15-5.

TCU will host Georgia State, Tulane, Grand Canyon and Missouri State at the Horned Frogs Challenge from March 1-2 at the TCU Beach Volleyball Courts.