KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Augustana Vikings racked up 11 aces and handed the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team a 25-18, 25-21, 25-14 defeat on Friday afternoon at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas during the Emerald Beach Hotel Javelina Volleyball Invitational.
Senior Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas), junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) and freshman Grace Gettys (New Braunfels, Texas) all tied for TAMUK's team-high in kills with five. Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) collected 20 digs, tied for the match-high, while sophomore Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) led the Javs with 11 assists.
Augustana (4-1) took the first multi-point lead in the first set, eventually going ahead 7-4 following an attack error by TAMUK. The Javelinas rallied back with five straight scores, including two kills by senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) and the teams soon found themselves tied at 15-15. From there, the Vikings grabbed the momentum and put together a run of eight straight points to put themselves in the driver's seat. The final point came from an Avery Thorson kill.
The Javelinas (5-2) used three points in-a-row, including a kill from junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) to take a 9-6 lead in the second game, only to watch their opponents take eight of the next nine rallies for a 14-10 advantage. A stretch of five straight points to the Vikings later pushed the difference between the teams to seven before the Javs drew within two at 22-20, thanks to a 6-1 burst, Casteel contributing two smashes. Three of the next four were taken by the visitors however, and an Izzy Sommers kill put her side up 2-0.
The final set was controlled by Augustana, starting when they took the first four points. The Vikings' edge was later stretched to 18-7 following an 8-2 run. The Javelinas would get no closer than seven the rest of the way and Maddy Guetter's kill cemented the final score. The Javs were held to a -.088 hit percentage in the last game.
Augustana's 11 aces were the second-most by a Javelina opponent since 2016. Only Eastern New Mexico had more against the Javelinas over the last three seasons, posting 12 on Oct. 26th, 2018.
The Javs were held to an .073 hitting percentage, their lowest of the season. Their 23 kills came in 109 chances with 15 errors. They also finished with 61 digs and 38 attacks.
Avery Thorson ended the day with five aces for the Vikings to go with 26 assists and six kills, while Guetter put up 11 spikes with a .308 kill rate. Augustana hit to a .189 percentage with 40 kills in 122 attacks.
Friday concludes for the Javelinas against Edinboro at 7:30 p.m. at the SPEC. 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.
