KINGSVILLE, Texas – After being on the road for 10 of their last 14 matches, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team will finally have an opportunity to utilize their home court advantage, with the Javelinas hosting three different Lone Star Conference opponents at the Steinke Physical Education Center over the course of five days.
The festivities begin on Friday night when the Blue and Gold will host No. 22 Texas A&M-Commerce on Dig Pink Night at the SPEC. The Javelinas will be donning their pink uniforms and will also be raising money for the Sideout Foundation, charitable organization seeking to unify the volleyball community to drive change in the way that breast cancer is treated.
Following their meeting with the Lions, the Texas Woman's Pioneers will be the next hurdle for the Javs and the two teams will play on Saturday at 2 p.m. Following a pair of off days, No. 13 Tarleton State will be in town for a Tuesday night clash that is set to start at 7 p.m.
TAMUK just finished up a stretch of five matches that included four road contests and they posted a winning record over those eight days. The Javelinas finished that period with a five-set victory over Western New Mexico that put their overall record at 14-10 and they are 6-7 in Lone Star Conference play, good enough for the sixth spot in the league standings. During the upcoming homestand, the Javs will be looking to utilize a home court advantage that's helped them post a 24-6 mark at the SPEC dating back to 2016.
"In this conference, it's always better to play at home," said coach Tanya Allen. "It's so tough to play on the road, both with the travel and the crowds. Being at home is really exciting and I hope we can get a big crowd and it will help give us a little bit of an advantage."
Senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) continues to pile up the accomplishments and she penned another chapter in an outstanding senior season against the Mustangs. The Kingwood native matched the program record for most kills in a match by putting up 30, matching the total Shaday Smith posted in 2005 against Tarleton. She also continues moving up the school's all-time leaderboard, sliding into eighth place with a career mark of 1,035 kills. Her seven triple-doubles in 2018 are the second-most in Division II.
"[Madison]'s very diverse this year," said Allen. "She's doing a lot of different things. In the past, she had a lot of tendencies and I think it was easier to predict what she was going to do, but this year she's been very dynamic. She moves the ball well, she has some off-speed game and she's also playing a lot more in the back row. She's done a great job with a few different skills."
Freshman Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) has moved up to third in the LSC in assists with 627 after dishing out 42 against WNMU, helping the Javelinas craft a .247 hitting percentage. North has racked up at least 30 assists nine times during her rookie campaign.
TAMUK's defense will need to be on point against the Lions, as head coach Craig Case has seen his squad average more kills per set than any other team in the LSC at 14.01. They also own the league's second-best hitting percentage at .224. Junior Shelley Chapron's attack rate of .404 leads the conference and has her in the top 15 nationally. While Commerce doesn't have anyone in the conference's top 5 in kills per set, they have five student-athletes averaging better than two kills per frame. This production has helped the Lions move into second place in the league at 11-3 and 19-5 overall.
Defense has been a major point of emphasis for Texas Woman's, led by junior libero Bailey French. The Copperas Cove, Texas native stands atop the LSC leaderboard with 5.47 digs per set, a rate that is also good enough to place her in the top 50 nationally. French has reached 30 assists four times, piling up 39 against West Texas A&M on Oct. 6th.
Outside hitter Maggie Pyles has emerged as the top producer for the Pioneers offensively, posting the sixth-highest total in the LSC in kills per set. She pounded out 23 finishers when TWU and TAMUK met for the first time 2018 while logging a .309 kill rate.
The biggest challenge for Allen and her crew will be taking on No. 13 Tarleton on Tuesday. The TexAnns remain undefeated and atop the league table at 12-0 with an overall record of 20-2. They've posted the country's second-best block rate, averaging 3.05 rejections per set. Only Dixie St. can claim a higher average at 3.09. They've also been one of the country's most efficient offenses and own a spot in the nation's top 30 in hitting percentage while also leading the LSC in that category at .242.
Senior Hannah McManus has provided the TexAnns with a dominating presence on defense. Her mark of 1.47 blocks per game are second-best in Division II. In a win over Commerce in November, McManus posted a double-double, pairing 13 kills with 11 total blocks.
"All three of these teams," said Allen, "excel in the top stat categories, kills, defense, that kind of thing. For us, the biggest thing will be our hitting percentage. I think we're good at executing the defensive side of things. Sometimes, we just get a little error prone on the offensive side. If we can keep our hitting percentage above the .210 mark, I think we'll be successful."
To follow live video and up-to-the-minute stats for all three matches, visit Javelinaathletics.com, which is also where you'll be able to find recaps of each contest. To keep up with everything related to Javelina volleyball all season long, follow @JavelinaVB on Twitter and @javelinasports on Instagram, like Javelina Volleyball on Facebook and visit Javelinasports.com.
