SAN ANGELO, Texas – Led by sophomore Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas) and junior Kapri Pelle (Auburn, Calif.), the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team racked up 24 blocks as they cruised past the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm, 3-0, on Saturday morning at the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center in San Angelo, Texas.
"I told the team we had two goals this weekend," said coach Tanya Allen. "We wanted to run a faster offense and be great at defense. Nicole [Murff] did a phenomenal job digging and I thought, as a whole, we did a very good job blocking."
The Javelinas' block total was their highest since they topped 30 denials in a match against Briar Cliff in 1997. Estrada's eight led all players and matched a career-high while Pelle was credited with six. Six Javelinas recorded at least one rejection in the contest.
Nine different student-athletes contributed at least one kill to TAMUK's cause, led by senior Melanie Casteel (Dallas, Texas) with nine. She converted to the tune of a .471 hit rate on 17 attacks. Senior Talleyshia Morris (Tulsa, Okla.) finished at an even .500 on 10 chances, totaling six finishers to go with four blocks.
Sophomore Emily North's (Red Oak, Texas) 29 assists helped the TAMUK offense craft a .209 percentage on 110 attacks while sophomore Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) and junior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas) each hit double figures in digs, Muff with 25, Morris with 13.
SEOSU was held to a kill rate of .069 and forced into 23 attack errors. They also managed only two blocks and one ace.
TAMUK's defense was on point in the first set, as they held the Savage Storm to a -.103 hitting percentage and racked up 15 rejections while siding out at a rate of 73.3 percent. A 10-1 run sparked by three consecutive aces from freshman Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas) helped the Javs quickly build an 11-4 lead. The difference between the teams grew as large as 13 points before the Javelinas clinched the game on a bad set by SEOSU. The Savage Storm scored consecutive points only three times in the first set.
It was Southeastern Oklahoma State who seized the early initiative in set two, going ahead 4-1 and maintaining that distance until the score read SEOSU 14, TAMUK 11. At that point the momentum swung, thanks in large part to Casteel. Three straight smashes from the senior put the Blue and Gold in front and they wouldn't relinquish that lead. After the Savage Storm got within 16-15, they were never within a point again and it was junior Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) who applied the final blow with her third kill of the day. The Javelinas hit .297 in the second stanza.
SEOSU overcame a small deficit in the opening moments of the third set to move ahead 14-11 following a period in which they outscored the Javs, 12-6. TAMUK tied the score multiple times, but the Savage Storm used three straight points to move ahead 21-18, but the Javelinas took over after that. A kill by freshman Grace Gettys (New Braunfels, Texas), a block from Estrada and a combined rejection by both players helped the Javs tally four-in-a-row. After ties at 22-22 and 23-23, Casteel came up clutch on consecutive points, finding the hardwood with attacks both times and giving her team a second consecutive sweep.
The Javelinas will play once more in San Angelo before they come home, taking on Fort Lewis 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.
