KINGSVILLE, Texas – The final month of the 2018 regular season for the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team begins with a journey to the homes of a pair of Lone Star Conference foes. On Friday, the Cameron Aggies will host the Javelinas at Aggie Gym for a 5:30 p.m. match in Lawton, Okla. before TAMUK travels to Wichita Falls, Texas on Saturday to battle the MSU Texas Mustangs at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
The Javelinas (11-8, 3-5) currently sit in eighth place in the Lone Star Conference, which would grant them the final spot in the LSC Tournament, but they'll be attempting to use the final month of the regular season to improve their standing. TAMUK's late season push would need to start with a resurgence on the road, where they've managed just one win in six tries. This trip may be the perfect tonic for the squad, as the Javelinas have won in Lawton and Wichita Falls in each of the last two seasons.
Freshman Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) continues to solidify her standing as one of the conference's top liberos. Against West Texas, she surpassed 30 digs for the third time this season, finishing the evening with 36. It's taken her less than one season to grab three of the top 10 spots in program history for digs in a match. Her total of 36 tied for the third-most by a Javelina and she's also run up totals of 39 (2nd) and 32 (T-8th). Murff's average of 5.22 digs per set places her third in the LSC.
Another player who continues to make a case for conference recognition is senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas). She's posted triple-doubles in each of her last three matches, including a 22 assist, 14 kill, 11 dig performance in her team's most recent win, which came over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday. Her contributions in assists and digs have come while she's maintained her status as TAMUK's most prolific attacker. Her total of 216 smashes stands as the LSC's second-highest total.
The Cameron Aggies are still in search of their first conference victory after nine losses to begin the league slate. Coach Tatiana Booth, in her second season, is looking for her team to snap a 10-game skid that dates back to early September. The Aggies are also striving for their first home win. They've started 0-5 inside Aggie Gym after a 2017 season that saw them just a game under .500 on their home court.
Cameron's defense has been the stronger side of their game so far in 2018. Brandy Carr's 85 blocks are the second-most in the LSC. Carr's put up at least five blocks seven times with a season-high of nine coming against UT Permian Basin on Sept. 15th. Brittnee Altic has been the leader for the Aggies on the back line with 372 digs, which places her third in the conference. Her best performance came Southern Arkansas on Aug. 25th when she was credited with 43 scoops.
The Mustangs are also struggling to find their footing at 3-14 and 1-8 in the LSC, though they did earn a win over the Aggies in their most recent contest. Setter Sarah Glawe added another stellar performance to a solid sophomore campaign that's seen her move up to fourth in the conference with an average of 6.66 assists per set. Against Cameron, she handed out 49 helpers, 13 more than her previous season-high.
Last season saw the Mustangs take only one set in seven tries against the Javelinas as TAMUK's offense ruled the day in both instances. Led by Haley Hutchinson's (Georgetown, Texas) .583 hitting clip, the Javs swept MSU in Kingsville, connecting at a rate of .274 as a team. When the Blue and Gold traveled to Wichita Falls in November, Brabham fired off 16 kills with a .344 spike rate in a four-set victory.
Those two wins added to an already sizeable edge in the all-time series for the Javelinas, who have taken 22 of 33 meetings with the Mustangs all-time. The last win for MSU in the rivalry came in 2013. As for the Aggies, they stand at 23-15 against TAMUK, but the Javelinas have swept the season series in each of the last two years.
Links to live video and stats will be available through Javelinaathletics.com and, after the final point, check back for a full recap. 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.
