KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team honored seniors Madelyn Perez (San Antonio, Texas), Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) and Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla) on Senior Day inside the Steinke Physical Education Center, but they were unable to pick up a win over the St. Edward's Hilltoppers, falling 25-16, 25-27, 25-20, 25-22 on Saturday in Kingsville, Texas.
Junior Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) led the way for the Javelinas on the stat sheet with a team-high 12 kills, a .323 hitting percentage and 11 digs. Morris piled up 11 kills. Junior Roxanne Morris (Sacramento, Calif.) posted TAMUK's highest assist total with 23 and sophomore Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) tossed out 16 helpers and also rattled off 12 digs.
On defense, freshman Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas) finished with the team's highest dig total, recording 18, while sophomore Alexa Ruiz (Schertz, Texas) logged 12 scoops. Sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) led all players with six blocks.
There was no separation between the teams during the opening stages of the match until a period in which SEU won six of seven points to go ahead, 10-7. A stretch in which the Hilltoppers took seven of nine upped the difference between the teams to seven and it later reach nine before a TAMUK ball handling error ended the frame. The Javs were held to an .062 hitting percentage in set one with SEU hitting .333.
The early part of the second game belonged to the Blue and Gold. The Javs used an 11-2 run to build a 12-4 lead. Talleyshia Morris and Merlino registered multiple kills during the run and Estrada collected two blocks. The Hilltoppers quickly reduced TAMUK's lead to four and later notched eight of nine points to jump in front, 21-20. They had a set point at 24-23 before a kill by Casteel and an attack error flipped the advantage to the Javs. The Hilltoppers tied it up, but a strike from Talleyshia Morris and an ace by Perez clinched the frame for TAMUK.
The momentum swung back-and-forth throughout the third set, which started with SEU winning seven of eight rallies, but eight of the next 10 scores went to the Javs, tying the score at nine. What followed were six consecutive ties before the lead changed hands several times. SEU won a pair to make the score 17-15. The Javelinas then nabbed three-in-a-row for an 18-17 edge, only to see the Hilltoppers collect the next five points, making the score 22-18, a deficit the Javs couldn't erase. The visitors clinched a 2-1 lead in sets following an attack error by their hosts.
An early 3-0 lead for SEU was erased by a 9-3 TAMUK run, but the Hilltoppers retook the lead at 12-11, by winning four straight rallies. The Javs forged a deadlock at 15, but three more to the visitors put them back ahead to stay. Six times, the Blue and Gold closed to within one, including at 23-22, but they couldn't get the point they needed to tie the score and swing the momentum. An attack error and an ace by Camille Dedeaux gave St. Edward's the clinching points.
The next stop for the Javelinas is the 2019 Lone Star Conference Tournament, which will begin on Tuesday. Check Javelinaathletics.com for the time and location of TAMUK's first round matchup. 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.
