KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the second straight day, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team fell behind against a Lone Star Conference opponent, then mounted a spirited comeback, capturing their third straight win by defeating the Dallas Baptist Patriots, 22-25, 26-24, 22-25, 25-20, 15-11 on Saturday afternoon at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
Sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) and junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) keyed a Javelina defense that totaled the most digs in a match since Tanya Allen took over as head coach in 2011. Murff finished with 35, the sixth-most ever by a Javelina in a single match, while Morris piled up 30, combining for more than half of TAMUK's total of 126 scoops. Sophomore Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) and freshman Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas) each collected 16 digs and sophomore Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) was credited with 12. Senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) totaled seven attacks, matching her total against Tarleton on Friday.
Both Kadilis and North put up double-doubles for the second straight day, as North handed out 28 assists and Kadilis wasn't far behind with 27. Junior Meghan Merlino (Sacrament, Calif.) and senior Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) each fired off 17 kills with Merlino hitting .228. Sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) led the Javs in hitting percentage with a .438 mark and eight smashes on 16 attacks.
The Patriots never trailed in the first set, winning the first two points and gradually increasing their lead until the score read DBU 17, TAMUK nine. The Javelinas refused to roll over, however, and went on a 13-5 run that was boosted by multiple kills from Merlino and Casteel and tied the score at 22. DBU was able to regain their footing at that point to win three-in-a-row, the final score coming on a block by Lexie Houston and Carly Earnest.
Each team had a lead in the early going in set two before DBU used a quick stretch that saw them take five of six points to go ahead, 10-6. The Javelinas responded by taking four straight rallies, but couldn't move in front and they were soon behind by four again at 19-15. From there, Casteel almost single-handedly propelled the Javelinas to a comeback that evened the match at one set apiece. During a 7-1 run, she reeled off five kills, including three straight at one point to put the Blue and Gold ahead, 23-20. The next four scores went to the visitors, but another Casteel smash evened the score and was followed by a Roxanne Morris ace and a block courtesy of Talleyshia Morris and Emily North, putting the second set in the Javelinas' pocket.
TAMUK's first lead in the third set came during a 4-0 spurt that included two Murff aces and turned an 8-6 deficit into a 10-6 edge. DBU wasted no time crafting a rally of their own to go up 14-12, and later 21-16 after the home team crept within one. While that difference quickly shrunk to two, the Patriots held on and moved one set away from a win following a kill by Brooke Clark.
The pendulum swung back to the home side in frame four, starting with a 9-2 run with four kills from Merlino, two from Estrada and a block assist that included both players. Twice DBU cut their deficit to four, but on the second occasion, four-in-a-row for TAMUK made the score 19-11 and the Patriots never threatened again. Merlino's 15th finisher set the stage for the last game.
Neither side could gain any separation early in set five and the score stood at 8-8 immediately after the teams switched sides. Talleyshia Morris then came up huge, first with a solo block, then by combining with junior Kapri Pelle (Auburn, Calif.) for another rejection. A DBU attack bumped the Javs' lead to 11-8 and, after two exchanges of points, sophomore Jordan Wonders (San Antonio, Texas) pushed the contest to match point with a kill. One her team's second try, Estrada put the match on ice with her eighth finisher.
The next three are on the road for the Javelinas, starting with two matches on Monday. The Javelinas will play Northwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. and Southwestern Oklahoma State at 4 p.m. in Weatherford, Okla. 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.
