COMMERCE, Texas (Volleyball) – Lexi Wick hit .455 with 12 kills and added seven blocks and
Krystal Faison collected her seventh double-double of the season in Texas A&M University-Kingsville's (10-3, 2-1 LSC) 3-1 setback to Texas A&M University-Commerce (7-6, 2-2 LSC) Friday evening in the Field House.
The Javelinas threatened often with sets No. 1, 3 and 4 being decided by two points and despite the momentum favoring the Lions, the Hogs forced 13 ties in set No. 4.
Madison Brabham led the Hogs with 14 kills and hit .409, Faison finished with 12 kills, 14 digs and two service aces and
Ashley Bukowski picked up a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Casey Klobedans recorded 47 assists, three blocks and four kills and
Taliah Phipps led all players with three service aces.
Set One
Trailing early 11-6, Bukowski and the Javelinas collected five unanswered points to tie the set at 11-all. Bukowski registered a kill and service ace prior to the Commerce timeout, and back-to-back kills by Wick tied the opening stanza.
The Hogs and Lions traded points with A&M-Kingsville take a one-point lead, 18-17, after a kill by Faison and attack error for AMC. Moments later, TAMUK extended took a 20-18 lead on an assisted block by Wick and Bukowski. The Javelinas threatened to erase Commerce's lead with a kill by
Casey Klobedans and a Wick block, but the Lions survived set No. 1 with a 25-23 win.
Set Two
A quick start to the second set featured the Javelinas jump out to a 13-5 lead before the second Lions timeout. Texas A&M-Kingsville continued the onslaught out of the break, with back-to-back kills for Bukowski and a kill by Klobedans extending the lead to 17-5. After a Lions point, Wick and Klobedans teamed up for another assisted block and Wick's fourth of the game.
An ace by Faison and kill by
Valerie Hill clinched the second set, 25-11, as TAMUK tied the contest at 1-1.
Set Three
Phipps picked up her third ace of the match early on but Kingsville trailed by as much as three points. Down 15-12, Brabham recorded her eighth kill of the evening to make it a two-point game. However, Commerce added to its cushion, 20-16, as the Hogs looked to regroup and take a 2-1 lead. After a Kingsville timeout, Faison's kill and consecutive Commerce errors made it a one-point game. A&M-Commerce took a 21-19 lead, but Klobedans responded with a kill to make it 21-20 Lions.
The Javelinas blanked the two-point deficit with kills by Brabham and Bukowski to tie the set at 22-22. The back and forth continued but an official overturn gave Commerce a point and 24-22 lead. The home team was able to take set No. 3 25-23.
Set Four
Kingsville took a quick 5-3 lead as Faison registered her seventh double-double of the season but the Lions led in the middle stages, 13-10. Out of the timeout, Faison and
Haley Hutchinson anchored a 6-1 rally as Texas A&M-Kingsville regained the lead, 16-14.
The Javs cushion reached four with the 19-15 lead. A&M-Commerce regained its lead, this time, 23-21, but Faison and Hutchinson answered with kills to tie the set at 23. The Lions were able to pick up a 26-24 win in the fourth set and clinch the win.
The Javelinas resume their road trip with a double dip tomorrow with a 1 p.m. contest at Texas Woman's University preceding a 7 p.m. regional bout at Dallas Baptist University. Live stats and video will be available for those two matches.
Fans are also encouraged to interact with
@JavelinaSports by following Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball on Twitter,
@JavelinaVB, and
@JavelinaVB on Instagram, liking the official Facebook page of Javelina volleyball (
/JavelinaVB) and subscribing to the
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