KINGSVILLE, Texas – Juniors
Ashley Bukowski and
Valarie Moehrig both finished with 13 kills apiece but the Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team fell 3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 20-25, 20-25) to Tarleton State Saturday afternoon in the Gil H. Steinke Physical Education Center-Kingsville Hampton Inn Court. Bukowski hit a team best .355 while Moehrig added 12 digs for her second straight double-double.
The Javelinas are now 9-8 overall and 2-4 in the Lone Star Conference while the TexAnns improved to 14-3 and 4-1 in league play.
Casey Klobedans was credited with 37 assists and added three blocks to tie her season-high.
Haley Hutchinson set a new career bests with eight total blocks and three solo rejections. Finished with six blocks apiece were
Madison Brabham and Bukowski.
Brett Zaccardo came up with 20 digs. Also reaching double figures in digs was
Krystal Faison with 13.
TSU scored the first four points of the match. A kill from Moehrig put the Blue and Gold on the scoreboard. The Javelinas were able to pull to within 6-5 after back-to-back combined blocks that saw Brabham part of both.
After the visitors went up by three TAMUK cut their deficit to one again following a kill by Bukowski. However, the TexAnns won three straight points to force a Javelina timeout.
TSU won the next two points coming out of the short break that was snapped by a kill from Hutchinson. She then combined on a block with Klobedans and posted back-to-back kills to make it 15-13. At that point the TexAnns head coach used her first timeout.
Coming out of the break, TSU's recorded an attack error to help the Blue and Gold to within one. The teams traded the next six points until the visitors got consecutive kills.
TAMUK fought back and won three straight points to take a 23-22 lead on a quick attack by Klobedans. After exchanging the next couple of points, Moehrig got a kill to give the Hogs match point. Brabham and Bukowski finished the first set off with a rejection.
Stanza two began with the Hogs taking a 3-2 lead on a kill from Brabham. The TexAnns answered back with an 8-3 run.
A kill courtesy of Moehrig decreased TAMUK's deficit to 12-10. The visitors then took the next three points that made the Hogs call a timeout.
Coming out of the short pause in action, Moehrig got a kill and Brabham and Bukowski teamed up for a block to start a 6-2 run. The TexAnns responded by winning four of the following six points. Moehrig got after a long rally to get TSU's head coach to call a timeout.
A bad attack and then a solo rejection knotted the score at 21-21. However, the visitors closed the set with a 4-1 run to tie the match 1-1.
TSU jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the third. Consecutive kills from Bukowski and Moehrig, plus two TexAnn attack errors put TAMUK up by one.
Four straight points went to the visitors but the Javelinas answered back with a 5-2 run capped off by back-to-back kills from Faison. However, that would be as close as the Blue and Gold would get as TSU took 10 of the next 13 points to take control of the set.
The TexAnns controlled the fourth set throughout. A one-point deficit at 12-11 was as close as the Javelinas would get on a TSU attack error.
Next week TAMUK plays five matches over four days beginning Wednesday with matches against New Mexico Highlands and Oklahoma Panhandle State in Goodwell, Oklahoma.
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