KINGSVILLE, Texas – Looking to rebound from just their second home loss of the year, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team will hit the road for two matches as they attempt to continue gaining ground in the Lone Star Conference standings.
This road trip will first take them to Odessa, Texas to tangle with UT Permian Basin at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Falcon Dome. On Saturday, Western New Mexico will play host to the Javelinas at 6 p.m. in Deming, N.M.
TAMUK's Lone Star Conference record is currently 5-6, a mark shared by four other programs in the conference. Of the four teams, Texas Woman's has the best overall record at 13-8, just a half-game better than the Javelinas, giving the Pioneers possession of fifth place. For UTPB and Eastern New Mexico, they both sit several games behind TAMUK's overall mark of 13-9 and the Javs also own tiebreakers over both squads, having defeated them during the first round of conference matchups. The top eight teams in the LSC make it into the conference's postseason tournament.
Despite Tuesday's loss to Angelo State, the day did produce some positive news for coach Tanya Allen and her team, as senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) was chosen as the LSC's Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Brabham had produced triple-doubles in each of her squad's last five contests leading into Tuesday's showdown and although that streak was snapped by the Rambelles, she still led all players with 14 kills and logged her 14th double-double in 2018. Brabham has moved in the top spot in the LSC in kills per set with an average of 3.53 kills per set.
Brabham also enters the weekend just four kills away from becoming the 10th Javelina to reach the 1,000 kills plateau. She'll become the first Javelina capture this milestone since Krystal Faison and Ashley Bukowski, who both surpassed the mark during the 2016 season.
The Falcons are in the midst of a stretch of nine matches that includes just two at home and they'll be trying to shake off a three-game losing streak when the Javelinas ride into town. UTPB will also be looking of a measure of revenge after being swept when they visited Kingsville in September. The Javelina defense limited UTPB to a hitting percentage of .063 and forced the Falcons into 21 errors on 128 attacks.
The biggest task for Allen's defense will be slowing down junior Skyler Friel, the conference's second-best attacker with a kill rate of .356. The Javelinas limited Friel to only seven kills and a .250 hitting percentage when the teams faced off for the first time this season, but Friel is coming off one of her most impressive performances of the campaign. Against Lubbock Christian on Tuesday, the Rowlett, Texas native piled up 17 kills without an error on 31 attacks for a .548 clip, setting a new season-high.
Western New Mexico started their conference schedule with two wins in three tries, but they've been unable to find a foothold in league play since, picking up only one victory in eight tries. Coach Jim Callender's Mustangs are two games out of the LSC's eighth spot with nine matches remaining. WNMU is attempting to garner a spot in conference postseason play for the third consecutive season.
Callender's top performer to this point has been outside hitter Bria Augustine. The freshman from Bell Flower, Calif. has wasted no time making an impact in Silver City, compiling an average of 3.51 kills per set, second only to Madison Brabham. Augustine has totaled 20 kills or more three times during her rookie season and also has eight double-doubles to her credit.
The Mustang offense has also benefitted from the presence of Selai Damuni on the outside. Another freshman, she owns an average of 3.04 kills per set, fourth in the LSC and has also reached 20 finishers three times, most recently in her team's five set victory over Texas Woman's on Sept. 28th.
Links to live coverage of each match can be found on Javelinaathletics.com and be sure to check back for a postgame recap after both contests. Fans can stay current with everything related to Javelina volleyball all year long by following @JavelinaVB on Twitter and @javelinasports and @JavelinaVB on Instagram, liking Javelina Volleyball on Facebook and visiting Javelinasports.com.
