WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Sophomore Jordan Wonders (San Antonio, Texas) set new career-highs in kills with 11 and digs with five but it was not enough as the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team suffered a 25-21, 25-19, 22-25, 25-20 defeat at the hands of the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers on Monday afternoon in Weatherford, Okla. at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
This loss snaps a three-game win streak for the Javelinas, who now own a record of 11-5, while NWOSU improves to 11-6.
Wonders' 11 kills led the Javelinas and she also finished with a hitting percentage of .259 and two blocks. Senior Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) also reached double figures in kills with 10 and sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) picked up eight smashes with only one error for a .467 success rate while also leading TAMUK with four total blocks.
A pair of Javelinas reached 20 assists, sophomore Lauren Kadilis (Spring Branch, Texas) leading the way with 23 followed by classmate Emily North (Red Oak, Texas) with 20. Fellow sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) led the Javs on the back line with 20 digs.
The Rangers used a stretch of five-in-a-row to take an 8-3 lead in the first set and didn't trail after that. The Javelinas moved to within 16-14 by winning seven of nine points, with Wonders contributing three kills, and later trailed by one at 21-20 after a 6-2 burst. NWOSU won four of the final five rallies in the set, however, and Kiauna Clark's kill cemented the score at 25-21.
In the second game, NWOSU used a run of seven straight points to turn a 6-4 deficit into an 11-6 lead and they never let their opponents get closer than three points the rest of the way. An attack error by freshman Grace Gettys (New Braunfels, Texas) provided the final score in the frame and gave the Rangers a two-set lead. The Javs were unable to string together more than two consecutive points during the second set while the Rangers hit .240 with only a single error on 25 attacks.
The Rangers seemed intent on securing a sweep when they raced out to a 5-0 lead in the third. The Javelinas tied the score three times and then put together a run of their own after falling behind 16-13. Two kills by senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) keyed a period of six-in-a-row that garnered the Javs a 19-16 advantage. They later upped the difference to 23-18 by scoring four straight times and pushed the match to four sets following an attack error by Clark.
A 2-0 start by NWOSU was followed by a 4-2 lead for TAMUK and the teams then found themselves tied four times, including 8-8. Nine of the next 13 points were won by the Rangers, giving them a five-point advantage. The Javelinas closed to within 22-20 by taking five of seven rallies at one point, with sophomore Kelsi Luckenbach (Calallen, Texas) firing off consecutive kills during that stretch, but the next three scores were all by the Rangers and a Clark kill secured the win for NWOSU.
The Javelinas will play one more time on Monday, taking on Southwestern Oklahoma State at 4 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.
