WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) and sophomore Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) each recorded double-doubles, but the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team suffered its second consecutive defeat, a 25-12, 13-25, 25-21, 25-17 setback against the Midwestern State Mustangs in Lone Star Conference action at the D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas on Friday night.
"This is a tough conference," said coach Tanya Allen, "and every night is a grind. I think tough matches like this are an opportunity to show us how we can grow. We have to take this loss and learn from it."
For Kadilis this was her eighth double-double of the season and her match-high 36 assists were accompanied by 12 digs. Morris' double-double was her third of the year. She registered 12 kills with a .303 hit rate, making two errors on 33 attacks. Her stat line also included 13 digs.
Junior Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) posted the Javelinas' (16-9, 7-4) highest kill total with 13 with only three mistakes on 42 swings for a .238 hitting percentage. Sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) led the squad in digs with 16.
The teams fought to a 5-5 tie in the first set before MSU (7-14, 4-7) used a 14-2 run to race out to a 19-7 lead. The Mustangs maintained that momentum for the rest of the frame and Rockelle Gholson's third smash secured the set for the home team. MSU hit .526 in the set, making just two errors against 12 kills in 19 attacks, while the Javs were held to a mark of .077.
MSU took the first two points in the second game, but TAMUK immediately responded with three-in-a-row and wouldn't trail again for the rest of the set. After the Mustangs tied the score at eight, the Javelinas won seven of the next eight points, with Morris contributing three kills. TAMUK's lead eventually reached double-digits, with a smash by sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) upping the score to 23-13. A block by sophomore Jordan Wonders (San Antonio, Texas) and a kill courtesy of Merlino then iced the set and evened the match at one apiece.
The third frame started with the home team once again quickly taking the lead. The score stood at 10-6 in MSU's favor until Merlino sparked a comeback with three kills as part of a stretch of seven straight points for the Blue and Gold. The Mustangs had a response, however. Trailing 17-15, they won eight of the next 10 rallies for a 23-19 advantage and locked up a 2-1 lead on a service ace from Kaitlyn Masseth.
A pair of kills by senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) helped the Javelinas gain a 9-6 lead in the fourth set, but another extended run put MSU in the driver's seat again. For the second time in the match, the Mustangs put together a stretch in which they outscored the Javelinas 14-2, this time going ahead 20-11. The Javs couldn't get closer than seven points after that and the final point of the night came on a kill from Gholson.
On Saturday, the Javelinas will make the trip to Denton, Texas for a match against the Texas Woman's Pioneers at 1 p.m. To keep up with Javelina volleyball all season long, follow @JavelinaVB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, visit TAMUK Volleyball on Facebook, subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visit Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
