KINGSVILLE, Texas – This weekend the Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team plays their first home matches of the 2015 season when they host the Emerald Beach Hotel Javelina Volleyball Invitational. The 10-match tournament will be played in the Gil H. Steinke Physical Education Center-Kingsville Hampton Inn Court Friday and Saturday with the first match each day starting at 10 a.m.
Along with the Javelinas (3-1), also competing will be Bentley (1-3), Drury (3-1), Lubbock Christian (3-1) and St. Mary's (2-1). The Blue and Gold play at 12 p.m. against the Rattlers and 4:30 p.m. versus the Falcons. On Saturday, TAMUK faces the Panthers (10 a.m.) and the Lady Chaps (2:30 p.m.). The full invitational schedule can be found the on tournament central page.
Scouting Texas A&M-KingsvillePacing the Javelinas offensively is
Valarie Moehrig with 59 kills and 3.11 k/s.
Ashley Bukowski and
Krystal Faison have both recorded 49 and 48 kills, respectively. Faison is coming off her first career 20-20 performance (20 kills, 21 digs) in the team's final match in St. Louis, Missouri, and the first by a TAMUK player since current student assistant coach
Kelsey Washington had 20 kills and 20 digs at Cameron on Nov. 16, 2013.
Lone Star Conference Preseason Setter of the Year
Casey Klobedans comes in with 182 assists (9.58 a/s) on the young season. In all three victories she was credited with 49 assists. Klobedans comes in with a team best eight service aces as well.
Defensively,
Madison Brabham leads the squad with 11 blocks while both
Haley Hutchinson and Klobedans have 10 rejections apiece. Having recorded at least 20 digs in the last three contests, Faison leads the Javelinas with 77 and 4.05 per set. Sophomore
Brett Zaccardo is second with 74 digs and 3.89 d/s.
Scouting St. Mary'sThe Rattlers have beaten Alaska-Fairbanks (3-1) and Minot State (3-0) in the Flint Hills Resources Nanook Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Their lone loss came in the season opener to St. Joseph's (Ind.) in four sets. Prior to playing in Kingsville, StMU hosts Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday night for their first conference match of the year. In the preseason Heartland Conference poll, the Rattlers were voted to place sixth.
StMU has a balanced attack offensively thru three matches. Maddi King sports a team-high 26 kills. Right behind her is Tarine Grace with 25 kills and Channing Hankins has recorded 21. The Rattlers use two setters during contests. Rachael Scicchitano has been credited with 52 assists (4.73 a/s) and Kalyn Guthrie sports a 3.91 a/s mark with 43 total assists.
Lauren Holman leads the squad with 15 blocks. The only other player with double-digit rejections is Megan Isbell with 12. Both Holman and Isbell have four solo blocks apiece. Entering the weekend with 44 digs and a 4.00 d/s average is Tori Estrada.
Leading the all-time series 27-11 is the Rattlers. The Javelinas swept the season series last year by taking both games in four sets. In the last 11 meetings, TAMUK has been on the winning side eight times. The last loss at home to StMU was on Aug. 29, 2006 that lasted three sets.
Scouting BentleyBentley began the season 1-3 following their volleyball invitational. All four of the Falcons matches were completed in three sets. They defeated Chestnut Hill and fell to Florida Southern, LIU-Post and Minnesota-Crookston. BU was picked to finish third in the Northeast-10 Conference's Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Jaci Buscher comes in with 30 kills and 2.50 k/s to pace the Falcons. Right behind her with 28 kills is Lauren Van Buren and Ashley Latimer has 21 kills as well. Putting up just 6.00 a/s is Krista Campbell while Allie Rotkin has put up 4.75 a/s in four sets.
Leading the team with eight blocks, three of them solo, is Ashley Latimer. Shelby Kreienberg is second with four rejections and both Stephanie Metzger and Van Buren have three blocks apiece. Recording 51 digs (4.25 d/s) is Jessica Segal.
Friday will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
Scouting DruryDrury began their 2015 season in Topeka, Kansas at the Washburn Tournament. The Panthers won their first three contests before falling to the hosts in five sets. DU defeated Emporia State (3-1), Missouri Southern State (3-0) and Pittsburg State (3-0). Members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Panthers were selected to finish fifth in the West Division.
BJ Specht leads the squad with 51 kills and 3.40 k/s. She is second with 51 digs (3.40 d/s) and a .227 attack percentage. Pacing them with a .245 attack percentage is Laynie Timmos. She also has recorded 40 kills and 11 blocks. Setting the duo and others up for attacks is Brooke Antenen with 132 assists (8.80 a/s).
Defensively, both Chloe Foster and Antenen have a team-high 15 blocks. McKenna Poynter enters with a 5.53 d/s and 83 total digs.
Saturday is the second meeting ever between TAMUK and DU. The only other time the two teams competed on the same court was on Sept. 5, 1998 in Joplin, Mo. That day the Javelinas won 3-2.
Scouting Lubbock ChristianLubbock Christian opened their season with a 3-1 record at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic in Canyon, Texas. The Chaps' three victories were against Adams State (3-1), Colorado State-Pueblo (3-1) and then No. 22 West Texas A&M (3-2). Fellow Lone Star Conference member Eastern New Mexico handed LCU their lone loss 3-2 on the opening day of the tournament. Prior to playing in Kingsville, the Chaps will open Heartland Conference play on Thursday at Texas A&M International.
Maddie Johnson comes in with a team best 57 kills and 3.17 k/s. Emily Hanaway is hitting a team-high .279 with 48 kills while Johnson is close behind her with a .255 percentage. Credited with 188 assists for a 10.4 a/s mark is Mallory Powell.
At the net, Ariel Froeschl has 19 blocks. Also with double-digit rejections are Christiana Tavo (11) and Hanaway (10). Kelsie French's 84 digs paces the Lady Chaps. Mallory Powell (2.44), Kyleigh Lucia (2.00) and Johnson are all recording at least two digs a set.
The three previous meetings have all gone in LCU's favor. Sept. 13, 2013 was the last time both teams met, going four sets. Saturday will be the first time the squads have played in Kingsville.
Winningest TAMUK CoachWith three wins during the opening weekend at the Maryville Invitational, Texas A&M-Kingsville head coach
Tanya Allen tied the school's all-time win mark. She shares the record with Jane Kieschnick (2000-06) with 68 victories.
Matched Service Aces MarkKlobedans tied a Javelina service ace record in the season opener against Southern Wesleyan. She hit six aces in the five-set match. The previous Hoggie to reach the mark was Kim Martinez against Angelo State on Nov. 8, 1997 at home.
Klobedans LSC Preseason SetterKlobedans was selected as the Lone Star Conference's Preseason Setter of the Year by the head coaches, sports information directors and media members. She was the conference's co-Setter of the Year after recording 1,171 assists (10.18 a/s).
Assists ChaseKlobedans ended her freshman campaign with 1,171 assists, the 10th most on the career list. She is 1,881 away from surpassing the Javelinas' all-time mark held by Natalie Walther (2001-04). Klobedans is currently 829 shy of becoming the seventh TAMUK player ever with 2,000 career assists.
Season OpenersTexas A&M-Kingsville improved to 10-18 all-time in season openers since 1988. The Javelinas have won their last two season opening contests. In head coach
Tanya Allen's five seasons, TAMUK is 3-2 and 2-1 in neutral site contests.
Javelinas Picked Fifth in LSCTAMUK was picked to finish fifth in the Lone Star Conference's 2015 preseason poll by coaches, sports information directors and media members. West Texas A&M was picked first with 19 of the possible 25 first place votes while the defending conference tournament champions Tarleton State were second with five first-place picks. Receiving the final first-place vote was Angelo State.
Live stats will be available for all 10 matches of the tournament. A live video stream will only be provided for both of the Blue and Gold's matches on Friday. Links can be found at the top of the article and on the volleyball schedule page.
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