Box Score KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team jumped out 1-0 lead on Midwestern State Saturday in the Kleberg Bank Homecoming Match on Kingsville Hampton Inn Court, but couldn't keep the momentum as falling in four sets to the Mustangs, 17-25, 28-26, 25-21, and 25-21.
The Javelinas hit a smoking .481 in the first set with just three errors, but hit .140 and .106 the next two sets as Midwestern took a 2-1 lead. In the final set, MSU hit over .400, while Kingsville hit .243.
The loss snaps a 3-game Lone Conference winning streak for the Javelinas who dropped to 11-10 on the year and 4-4 in the conference. For MSU, the win moves them to 10-7 on the year and 2-6 in the LSC.
In the opening set, Dedra Brown led the charge with six kills and no errors in eight attempts. Kelsey Washington had a four kills and five digs. Brown finished with 13 kills, while Washington had 12 kills and 14 digs. Stephanie Johns added 12 kills and three aces. Sarah Fountain had 23 assists and 10 digs, while Brittany Gutierrez had a team-best 16 digs.
In the second set, Kingsville struggled with its hitting and MSU finishing five aces. The Javelinas led by as many as five points after a pair of Stephanie Johns aces but could not shake the visitors. Midwestern tied the game at 20 on Javelina attack error. The match stayed within a point and was tied at 26. Beatriz Villalba gave the visitors the lead with a kill and then teamed on a block with Sarah Garfield to even the match.
The Javelinas struggled early in the third set falling behind 8-1. They pulled to within a point at 11-10 on a kill by Johns but could get not get over the hump to regain the lead.
In the fourth set, Kingsville seemed to regroup jumping out to a 6-1 lead after back-to-back kills by Brown and Johns. The Hoggies maintained the lead until a pair of kills by Caitlin Wallace, who led MSU with 16 kills, put the Mustangs in front, 13-12, and began an 8-2 run that made the score 20-14.
The Javelinas battled back to within 23-21 on an ace by Washington, a MSU attack error and a Kayla McGlathery kill. MSU closed out the match with a Wallace kill and error by Brown.
The Javelinas face St. Mary's on Tuesday in a non-conference match at 7 p.m.