ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Three different Javelinas logged a double-double and five reached double figures in digs to help the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team score a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over the Henderson State Reddies, 25-12, 20-25, 10-25, 25-20, 15-9, on Wednesday night at the Duke Wells Center in Arkadelphia, Ark.
"I'm glad we were able to turn things around," said coach Tanya Allen. "I think it shows growth that we came from behind. This team is capable of good things."
Leading a stellar defensive effort were sophomores Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) and Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas). Kadilis' 27 scoops were the most in the match, as were her 32 assists. Murff contributed 23 digs, marking the first time two Javelinas topped 20 digs in a match since Aug. 24th, 2018 against New Mexico Highlands. Senior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) added 10 digs, freshman Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas) had 12 and sophomore Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) finished with 10 and 17 helpers for her third double-double of 2019. In the middle, freshman Bryce Earl (Houston, Texas) was credited with five total blocks.
"We dug a lot of balls," said Allen, "and I was proud of the team's determination to make a commitment to defense."
Offensively, Roxanne Morris led the charge with 13 kills and senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) and freshman Grace Gettys (New Braunfels, Texas) each claimed 10. Rookie Tammy Jo Grohman (San Antonio, Texas) fired off four kills on five attacks.
"Tammy and Bryce did a phenomenal job stepping in tonight," said Allen, "and producing when the team needed it."
The Javs raced in front to begin the match, snatching the first six points on six consecutive kills, with Gettys providing three. With the score 14-7, TAMUK went on another run, this one consisting of seven straight points, to go ahead by 14. Soon after, a rocket off the arm of Talleyshia Morris gave the first set to the Blue and Gold. The Reddies could only muster a kill rate of -.027 in the first set.
The initiative in the next frame was seized by the Henderson State, who went up 7-2 and never held a lead smaller than three after that. The Javelinas attempted to rally late in the set, outscoring HSU 7-3 during one stretch, but they were unable to erase a deficit that grew as large as eight at one point and Tyasia McGruder registered the final point to tie the score at one set apiece.
The third frame was similar to the second in that the Reddies raced out to sizable lead and never looked back. HSU won 15 of the first 18 rallies, hit .290 and held TAMUK to -.067. They collected their second set victory when Kenzie Thomas let fly with an ace.
The Javelinas regained their mojo in set four and never trailed while piling up 18 kills with only four errors for a .318 kill rate. The visitors quickly grabbed a 6-1 advantage and were still up by five later in the frame with the score at TAMUK 13, HSU 8. The Reddies moved within two points three times, but each attempted uprising was thwarted by the Blue and Gold. At 23-20, Grohman got one point with a solo block and Roxanne Morris tallied the other with her 12th kill.
Another TAMUK run got them off to a 5-1 start in the last game, but the home team battled back to forge a 6-6 tie. The Javs saw to it that it would be the last tie of the evening, collecting seven of the next eight rallies for a 13-7 lead. After consecutive scores for HSU, a kill by Gettys and a Henderson State attack error allowed the Javelinas to put this match in the win column.
TAMUK's defense totaled 10 blocks and 100 digs en route to victory. The team's dig total is its highest in almost a year, as they posted 101 digs on Sept. 28th, 2018 against West Texas A&M. The Javelinas ran up 58 kills against 28 errors in 186 attacks, hitting .156 for the match.
Henderson State registered eight rejections with 87 digs on defense. They were held to a .113 hitting percentage that included negative marks in the first and fifth sets.
Thursday is a travel day for the Javelinas before they take on No. 13 A&M-Commerce on Friday at 6 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.
