Babson Park, FL. - The Webber International Men's Beach Volleyball team hosted their first and only home invitational tournament this weekend, welcoming opposing schools Reinhardt and Stevenson University. The Warriors continued their win streak with three wins on Saturday and in dominating fashion as they sent three pairs to the semifinals of Sunday's single elimination tournament with Joao Vitor Lima and Gunter Perea Quevedo taking home the gold medal.
 
The Warriors opened up Saturday's dual matches facing off against Reinhardt at 8 AM. The Warriors would be broken up into two teams on the day and team two for the Warriors would start by defeating Reinhardt 4-1. Julio Ferrer and James Ward started the Warriors day off with a two set sweep winning 21-16 and 21-19 on court two. Andrew Nielsen and Jack Sukeena would follow in their teammates footsteps with a match victory but it would take them three sets to do so coming from behind after losing the first set.  Thoralf Schmelzer and Peyten Young handled their business on court one taking a clean sweep in their first two sets 21-17 and 21-13. Kennette Esquilin and Kornel Szabo would do the exact same thing but in much closer games winning set one 22-20 and set two 21-18. Kevin Mccarthy and Samuel Pearish also competed for the Warriors but lost two heartbreaking sets 22-20 and 23-21.
 
Following the Warriors Team two's performance, Team one would face off against Stevenson at 10 AM. The Mustangs were more of a challenge to the Warriors taking the first match defeating Riley Chapman and Chris Padilla in three sets. Josh Corr and Trent Massey were able to strike back and win their match in two sets to even the matchup at 1-1. Joao Vitor Lima and Gunter Perea won their first two sets against Stevensons 21-14 and 21-19 on court one and Jacob Chapman and Noah Gaspard also won their match in two sets 21-15 and 21-18. Joan Galmes and Dallas Hitchins battled on court two for the Warriors but lost in three sets forcing a back and forth third set that ended with Stevenson winning 23-21. Despite the challenge by the Mustangs, the Warriors were still able to win the match, and Team one won 3-2 against the Mustangs.
 
Team one for the Warriors would get their shot at a Reinhardt squad that had been taken down by team two for the Warriors just early that morning. Team two would have no problems at all for the Warriors as they would take the match 5-0 on the backs of a clean sweep from Vitor Lima and Perea. The other four Warrior pairs would take their games to three sets, but they all came up in the clutch to deliver the shutout team victory for the Warriors. Corr and Massey won their third set 15-10, after dropping set 2, and Galmes and Hitchins had the exact same result winning their third set 15-7. Chapman and Padilla would win their third set 15-5 and Chapman and Gaspard won theirs 15-11. The Warriors team two was scheduled to play against Stevenson later that afternoon, but after some bad weather, the two sides agreed to cancel the match.
 
The Webber Invitational single elimination tournament was scheduled to start Sunday morning at 8 AM, and the Warriors would be sending 13 pairs of players, Stevenson six pairs, and Reinhardt five pairs. The Warriors battled all day as there were great games to be seen at all three courts. After the field was cut down to four teams, the Warriors earned the right to send three out of the four pairs of players to the semi-final round. Young and Schmelzer were set to face off against the last remaining Stevenson pair and Vitor Lima and Perea battled against fellow Warrior teammates Massey and Corr. Both matches would end in two sets with the Stevenson squad upsetting the higher ranked Young and Schmelzer and Vitor Lima and Perea beating their teammates Massey and Corr. The pair of Young and Schmelzer were set to battle Massey and Corr in the bronze medal match, but after set one, the two sides decided to not finish the match and agree to finish tied for third place. The final match was set as Vitor Lima and Perea looked to get revenge for their teammates in the semi-final match against Stevenson. There had been light rain showers earlier in the afternoon but as the finals game began, the rain did as well. As the rain blew into their faces Vitor Lima and Perea went back and forth against the Mustangs until the Warriors side was able to get some separation and take set one from the Mustangs. Set two was just as competitive as the first as it could not be decided in 21 points, but after a few great blocks and kills from Perea, the Warriors were able to secure match point and take the gold for the Warriors.
 
The Warriors will have a few weeks off from tournament play until they travel up to the Tusculum Invitational on October 21^st in Greenville, TN.
 
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