KINGSVILLE, Texas – The open road beckons for the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team, as they prepare to embark on a road swing that will take them to three cities for four matches in three days, including a pair of contests against Lone Star Conference foes.
TAMUK will hit the road hoping to take with them the momentum they built following a home sweep of St. Mary's on Tuesday. In addition to an excellent evening from junior Sarah Miller (Long Beach, Calif.), who collected her fifth double-double, senior Haley Hutchinson (Georgetown, Texas) led the team with .538 hit percentage, the second time in 2018 she's posted a kill rate of better than .500. The contributions from junior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) continue to increase. Over her team's last two matches, Morris is hitting .348 with 10 kills and 10 total blocks. Senior Madison Brabham (Kingwood, Texas) reached 20 assists for the fourth time in her last six games by passing out 21 helpers against the Rattlers.
The trip begins with a visit to St. Edward's in San Antonio, who the Javelinas will play on Thursday at 4 p.m. The Hilltoppers are off to a 10-5 start, a mark a that includes a five-game-win streak that saw SEU defeat a pair of teams from the Lone Star Conference.
Former assistant Stefanie Holler was elevated to head coach in June after three seasons during which she helped the team improve from eight wins to 11 to 16 a season ago. It didn't take long for Holler to earn her first win as a head coach, as the Hilltoppers began the year with a sweep of Florida Tech.
Holler had the benefit of returning three All-Heartland Conference selections in libero Morgan Beckham, middle blocker Mikayla Parker and outside hitter Kate Hendrix. So far in 2018, the Hilltoppers have been able to rise to the top of the league leaderboard in several categories, including hitting percentage, where they've posted a mark of .191, led by Parker's success rate of .262, third-best in the HC. Their mark of 2.11 blocks per set and 19.61 digs per set are also the Heartland's best.
The next night, TAMUK will be in San Angelo, Texas to play the Angelo State Rambelles at 7 p.m. at Stephens Arena at the Junell Center. The Rambelles, who are receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, have returned to their customary spot near the top of the LSC, winning four of their first five league matchups while sitting at 11-4 overall. The Rambelles own a 42-13 edge in their rivalry with the Javelinas. TAMUK will be trying to snap an 11-match losing streak in San Angelo.
An 11-2 start to the season has helped the Tarleton State TexAnns garner the No. 20 ranking in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Since suffering consecutive losses to Central Oklahoma and Dixie State in August, coach Mary Schindler has seen her team reel off eight straight wins. Those victories have included triumphs over No. 25 Texas A&M-Commerce, an Angelo State team that's receiving votes, and West Texas A&M, the squad picked to finish one spot ahead of Tarleton in the LSC's preseason rankings.
Tarleton's squad is led by middle blockers Hannah McManus and Sofia Tonga, who have formed the conference's most formidable set of middle blockers so far this season. McManus's average of 1.38 blocks per set stands as the LSC's best, with Tonga holding down second at 1.33.
The weekend concludes with TAMUK's third meeting of the season against St. Mary's. The Javelinas have taken the first two tilts, with Sarah Miller collecting double-doubles in both matches. The Javelina defense was also on point in the team's two wins, keeping the Rattlers' hitting percentage to under .100 in each instance. Eight of the last nine matchups between these programs have gone to the Javelinas.
Following each match, visit Javelinaathletics.com for a comprehensive recap of all the action. You can stay current with everything related to Javelina volleyball all season long by following @JavelinaVB on Twitter and @javelinasports on Instagram, liking Javelina Volleyball on Facebook and visiting Javelinasports.com.
