ST. LOUIS—[MATCH 1 BOX] [MATCH 2 BOX] Throughout the preseason it was clear that Kamden Maas had found her stride in the sand. The sophomore from Carlsbad, Calif., quickly showed her skill on Saturday in day two at Texas A&M Kingsville. Missouri Baptist split its decisions in the final day with a tight loss to A&M, 3-2 and another 4-1 win over Principia (Ill.).
Maas won both of her matches on Saturday and showed that alongside Cate Cigarini, her team would be very tough to beat. The duo dispatched the NCAA Division I Javelinas' No. 3 team of Gabby Atchley and Kelby Sprinkles 21-18 and 21-19 before doing the same to the Principia No. 2 team of Cha Cha Fisher and Sophia Hathaway, 21-10, 21-10. Overall on the weekend, the Maas/Cigarini team went 3-1.
Jen Brendel and Hannah Carey also went 4-0 on the weekend after cruising by Principia's Emily Tippetts and Nikki Matters. After defeating the Panthers' No. 1 team of Fisher and Halloway 24 hours earlier, the Spartan No. snagged a 21-12, 21-9 win. In the first action of the day, they provided a big win at No. 2 with a 11-21, 21-13, 15-8 win over A&M's Lexi Wick and Kyra Henderson.
Nos. 4-5 cruised to wins against Principia in the day's final match as Missouri Baptist exited Texas 2-2 to begin the season. Kelly Hughes and Kelly Wilson at No. 4 along with Amanda Thibodeaux and Natalie Hecht at No. 5 all took home wins in straight sets. The lone loss of the day came in a tight, 2-1 loss for No. 3's Sarah Bolton and Marija Tosic
It doesn't get any easier for the Spartans in their next match as the team will travel to Lincoln, Neb., on Wednesday to take-on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Last season, with a roster filled with indoor NCAA Division I All-Americans and a team that was fresh off an NCAA National Championship on the hard wood, the Spartans took a 5-0 loss.
Missouri Baptist will look to improve its fate on Wednesday at the Hawks Championship Center. First serve is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect a mistake in the statistics taken by Texas A&M Kingsville. Missouri Baptist won at No. 1 against Principia and lost at No. 3. Scores have been corrected, along with the story, to reflect the correct results.
