KINGSVILLE, Texas – Sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) registered 11 digs, five assists and three aces as the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team posted a side-out percentage of 69.4 in a 25-13, 25-17, 25-17 sweep of the Edinboro Fighting Scots on Friday at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
"[Our sideout percentage] had a lot to do with our set-receive," said coach Tanya Allen. "We passed better which obviously gives our hitters a better opportunity to score. Its tough for hitters to score when you're passing badly and we passed better in the second match of the day, which gave us a better opportunity to get kills."
Murff helped lead a Javelina defense that collected 41 digs and four blocks and held the opposition to a side-out rate of 43.8. The sophomore's ace total was almost half of the eight TAMUK posted for the match.
On offense, senior Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) fired off eight kills and junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) finished with six smashes and a .545 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) swung seven times to the tune of a .714 clip with five kills. Another sophomore, Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas), led the Javs with 14 assists.
After a 4-4 tie in the opening set, the Javelinas took eight of the next 10 rallies with Roxanne Morris supplying the last two points for a 12-6 lead. Edinboro responded by grabbing four of the next five, but TAMUK responded with a 6-1 run. The home team kept increasing their lead until an ace from Murff put the finishing touches on the frame. The Javs owned a sideout percentage of 78.6 in set one.
Edinboro jumped on top first with a 7-4 edge in the second game, but that's when TAMUK started their run. By stealing eight of the next nine points, they grabbed a lead they would never let go of. Sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) picked up two kills and a block during that spurt, while freshman Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas) also chipped in with two aces. Edinboro could get no closer than two after that. The Javs kept the visitors at bay until Roxanne Morris fired one to the floor for the 25th point and a 2-0 lead.
The Javelinas and the Fighting Scots were tied at six before a blast from Casteel started a 6-1 spurt that saw freshman Bryce Earl (Houston, Texas) score twice. Two kills courtesy of sophomore Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) helped fend off a comeback attempt from the Fighting Scots later in the frame, taking the score from 15-13 to 20-14. Edinboro quickly got within three, but the last five rallies of the evening all went to the Blue and Gold. Senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) brought the night to an end with her seventh finisher.
One more match remains for the Javelinas in this home tournament and it pits TAMUK against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats at 10:30 a.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.
