KINGSVILLE, Texas (Volleyball) – No time for a break for the Javelinas as Texas A&M University-Kingsville (14-10, 5-7 LSC) begins a series of four matches in five days at home against Texas A&M International University (3-16) tomorrow at 7 p.m. inside the Gil H. Steinke Physical Education Center-Kingsville Hampton Inn Court.
Tuesday's contest will be sponsored by IBC Bank and live stats and video will be available by visiting the volleyball schedule page on JavelinaAthletics.com, the official home of TAMUK athletics.
The Hogs defeated the Dustdevils in straight sets, 25-19, 25-19, 25-20, in their previous meeting earlier this season (Sept. 23).
Stephanie Johns paved the way in the victory, finishing with 12 kills (.500 hitting percentage) and six blocks and
Brett Zaccardo led all players with 18 digs.
Last Time OutTexas A&M University-Kingsville posted 20 kills and 21 digs, led by
Krystal Faison's nine kills (.600 attack percentage) and six digs, to earn a first set win, 30-28, but after Angelo State University (16-5, 9-4 LSC) squeaked past the Hogs in set two, 25-23, the Rambelles clinched the season sweep with a 25-9 win in set three and 25-19 victory in the fourth set on Saturday afternoon.
Faison and
Kelsey Washington registered double-doubles, finishing with 16 kills and 19 digs and 14 kills and 18 digs, respectively. Johns finished with 14 kills, five blocks and hit .357, Faison posted a .310 attack percentage, and
Casey Klobedans recorded 45 assists and two blocks.
Washington and Faison account for 14 of TAMUK's 23 double-doubles this season. Faison tallied two last week, and averaged a .308 hitting percentage in three games, collecting together 40 kills and recording just seven errors. The freshman began the week with 11 kills and 22 digs in a 3-1 win over St. Edward's on Tuesday. In Friday's loss to Tarleton State, the No. 2 blocking team in the nation, the outside hitter hit .464 en route to 13 kills and followed with 16 kills, 19 digs and two blocks (.310) against Angelo State.
Offensively, the Javelinas are one of the most balanced teams in the Lone Star Conference, as four players collected 200 or more kills this season –
Ashley Bukowski (258), Washington (242), Faison (219) and Johns (200). Zaccardo and Klobedans continue to put together sensational freshmen campaigns, leading the team with 4.81 digs/set and 10.18 assists/set, respectively. Defensively, the middle of Johns and
Ashley Tipps give the Blue and Gold one of the nation's leading blocking fronts as the duo has 174 combined blocks.
Coming off a loss, the Javelinas are 6-3 this season and in the friendly confines of the Kingsville Hampton Inn Court, the Hogs are 7-3. A 9-3 mark against nonconference opponents, Kingsville ranks ninth in the country with 2.42 blocks/set. The Javelinas are also ranked in the top 50 nationally in total team blocks (215.5; 10
th) and hitting percentage (.226; 39
th), and individually, Tipps is 30
th in blocks/set and 45
th in total blocks, Klobedans places 44
th in total assists and Zaccardo comes in at 50
th in total digs.
TAMIU is coming off a stunning five-set victory over St. Edward's University. The Dustdevils rallied from behind after trailing 2-1 to earn their third win of the season. Offensively, Miaje Hubbard is tops on the team averaging 2.98 kills per set and Alex Ciszek adds 2.33 kills/set. Lizzie Prieto is the team's primary setter with 8.11 assists/set and also boasts 18 aces and 36 blocks on the year, all team-high's.
On Thursday, Oct. 30
th, Kingsville begins a three-match road trip at Texas Southern University (9-13), a NCAA Division I program competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Action begins at 6 p.m.
The following day, TAMUK looks to earn the season sweep over A&M-Commerce (5-20, 3-10 LSC) at 7 p.m. at the Field House. Live stats and video will be available for the Halloween match. Flipping the calendar to Nov. 1, the Hogs head to Denton for their final road game of the regular season, a 2 p.m. contest against conference foe Texas Woman's University (16-7, 10-3 LSC). Live stats and video will also be provided for Saturday's slate against the Pioneers. The Javelinas downed TWU in their previous meeting, 3-1, but since then, Texas Woman's has gone 8-1 and currently rides a six-match win streak.
For full coverage of Javelina volleyball, please follow @TAMUKVBALL on Twitter, like the official volleyball Facebook page (TAMUK Volleyball) and follow us on Instagram (@JavelinaAthletics).
