LAREDO, Texas – Buoyed by 20 digs from sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) and 11 kills courtesy of sophomore Jordan Wonders (Corpus Christi, Texas), the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team maintained a perfect record in their division with a 28-26, 25-19, 25-19 triumph over the Texas A&M International Dustdevils on Saturday afternoon in Lone Star Conference action at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building in Laredo, Texas.
The Javelinas stay on top of their division with a 4-0 record, a 5-1 mark in the LSC and they are 14-6 overall. TAMIU has lost five-in-a-row, are 0-5 in conference play and 2-10 in 2019.
"I think after we fought back to win the first set, we held that momentum for the rest of the match," said coach Tanya Allen. "Jordan, Kelsi [Luckenbach] and Roxi [Morris] did a great job of getting kills when we needed them. Lauren [Kadilis] is really learning the offensive system and looks more confident."
This marks consecutive matches in which Wonders has led the Javelinas in kills, with her 11 smashes surpassing the career-high she set against the Dustsdevils on Thursday. Not far behind was sophomore Kelsi Luckenbach (Calallen, Texas), who increased her kill total for the third straight match, finishing with eight smashes and a .316 hitting percentage. Luckenbach has also hit .300 or better in three straight matches. Junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) hit .333 with seven kills.
Murff continued improving her conference-leading mark in digs per set by logging 20 scoops, more than any other player. Morris contributed 11 digs. The assist column was dominated by sophomore Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas), who passed out 18 helpers.
A series of runs in the first set had the lead changing hands several times, starting with a 6-1 burst by the home team for a 10-7 advantage. The Javelinas responded by winning nine of the next 12 points to make the score 16-13, but TAMIU then won six-in-a-row for a three-point edge. The Dustdevils pushed their lead to 24-20 and seemed poised to go up, 1-0, before TAMUK rallied back. A block by Roxanne Morris and sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) sparked a string of five straight points that thrust the Javelinas into the lead. After the Dustdevils tied the score twice, a TAMIU service error and a Murff ace capped the Javelina comeback.
The Javelinas erased an early, 7-5, deficit with a 6-1 run and didn't trail again in the second game. TAMIU twice came back to tie, but with the score at 13-13, the Javs notched five of the next six points, with Wonders contributing two kills, for a four-point advantage. The visitors stayed in front the rest of the way before Wonders secured a 2-0 lead with her seventh smash. The Dustdevils were held to a -.047 hitting percentage in the frame.
Three quick shots from Luckenbach helped the Javelinas turn an early, 2-1, deficit into a 5-2 lead, but the hosts moved back ahead soon after at 9-8. After taking the next three points to put themselves ahead again, the Javs gradually built an 18-13 edge and never saw their lead shrink to less than three points after that. A bad set put the visitors at match point and Morris and Estrada combined for the block that clinched a sweep.
The Javelinas held their opponents to a .102 hitting percentage on 127 attacks, allowing 36 kills while forcing 23 errors. The Dustdevils committed nine service errors compared to two aces and totaled four blocks.
TAMUK hit .172 with 38 kills and 18 attack errors. The Javs rattled off five aces with four service errors while racking up 57 digs and 11 blocks on defense.
The next stop for the Javelinas is Austin for a 6 p.m. match on Friday against St. Edward's. 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.
