WEATHERFORD, Okla. – For the fifth time this season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team found themselves trailing after three sets, but stormed back to win, stealing a 25-16, 21-25, 16-25, 25-21, 15-9 decision over the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs on Monday evening in Weatherford, Okla. at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
"It's always tough to play two matches back-to-back," said coach Tanya Allen, "but I thought we did a good job bouncing back to get a win. Kelsi Luckenbach did a phenomenal job for us in the second match."
Luckenbach (Calallen, Texas) came up with six kills and didn't commit an attack error for a hitting percentage of .300. Senior Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) finished as TAMUK's lead in kills with 11, followed by junior Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) with nine. Senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) put up six kills with just one error to go with a .556 kill rate.
Sophomores Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) and Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) each reached 20 assists. Kadilis passed out 21 and North picked up 20 helpers. Kadilis was also credited with 14 digs.
The TAMUK defense was led by sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) and Morris. Murff's 19 digs were a team-high, as were Morris' seven blocks, which included two solo blocks.
Sparked by a 3-0 start, the Javelinas quickly built a 10-3 lead to start the match with Casteel and Merlino each being responsible for multiple kills. SWOSU could never overcome that margin, movingly only as close as 18-13. The final blow came from freshman Jordan Wonders (San Antonio, Texas), who let loose with a kill that ended the frame for a Javelina team that hit .500, with 16 kills compared to three errors in 26 chances.
In the second set, the Javs again moved ahead 3-0, but this time, the Bulldogs came back with an 8-3 run and it was their turn to not relinquish the lead. The Javelinas were within one multiple times, but each attempt to even the score was turned away. After TAMUK made the score 19-17 with four points out of six rallies, SWOSU managed to push their lead back to five before Maicee Morgan's kill evened the sides in sets.
A 10-1 run in the early part of game three put the home team up 10-3. The Javs responded by winning six of the next eight points, only for SWOSU to immediately push the difference between the teams back to seven and eventually to nine at 20-11. Brylee Burroughs' kill finished the third set, during which TAMUK was held to a -.167 hitting percentage.
The Javelinas maintained a slim margin for much of the fourth frame, leading by three several times, including an 18-15 edge after two errors by the home side. The Bulldogs won the next point before a Luckenbach smash and another SWOSU error made the score 20-16. The teams then alternated points until a service error locked in the final at 25-21.
For the fifth straight frame, the Javelinas scored first and this time they tallied the first five points, thanks in large part to Morris, who sent in a pair of kills and added a block assist. The visitors stretched their lead to eight before the Bulldogs fought back make the score 9-8. The Javs then went back to work, grabbing the next five points with three different players providing kills over that period. SWOSU added one more point before a service error iced the match for the Blue and Gold.
On Tuesday, a conference opponent awaits for the Javelinas in the form of Lubbock Christian, who will host the Javelinas 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.
