SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Freshman Ayanna Jackson (San Antonio, Texas) piled up 11 block assists, tied for the second-most in a match ever by a Javelina, and the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team pushed its record to 7-0 by outlasting the St. Mary's Rattlers, 26-28, 25-13, 19-25, 25-20, 15-8, in Lone Star Conference action on Sunday evening at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas.
This is just the second time in program history the Javelinas have reached 7-0, with the only previous instance being an identical 7-0 start they put together in 2016. The Rattlers are now 2-5.
"I loved our effort tonight," said coach Tanya Allen. "They showed some real toughness in the fifth set and really committed to making some defensive stops. I love this team's competitive spirit."
Jackson's 11 rejections are just one shy of the single-match program record set by Ada Ihemelu in 1997 and are the most by a Javelina in one contest since Ihemelu set that record more than 23 years ago. The freshman from San Antonio also led her side in kills with 14. Two other double-doubles came from senior Roxanne Morris (Goliad, Texas), who had 16 digs and 10 kills, and junior Emily Witt (Rose Hill, Kan.), with 47 assists and 11 scoops.
Senior Meghan Merlino (Sacramento, Calif.) fired off 13 kills, while junior Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) tallied 15 digs and 12 more scoops came courtesy of sophomore Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas).
The day's first four points went to the Rattlers and they led for nearly the entire opening set until three straight TAMUK points gave the Javs a set point at 25-24. StMU bounced back by taking four of next five, however, to secure a 1-0 lead.
The Blue and Gold shook off the first game and posted a nearly errorless second set in which they hit .579. With the home team leading 8-5, two successful swings from Meghan Merlino and two blocks from Witt and Jackson helped the Javs go on a 6-0 run. After the teams exchanged a few points, the Javs put together another burst, this one of seven straight points to make the score 20-11 and a Roxanne Morris kill moments later clinched the frame for TAMUK and evened the match.
The lead belonged to the Javs for the first half of the third set, but a 14-12 TAMUK edge was erased when their hosts put together a stretch in which they outscored their guests 10-3 and went ahead 22-17. The Rattlers clinched a 2-1 lead on a Mia Martinez kill, which ended the stanza at 25-19.
The advantage swung back to TAMUK in the fourth on the strength of a .323 hitting percentage and two shots from sophomore Tammy Jo Grohman (San Antonio, Texas) helped them get out to a 5-1 lead. StMU could never even the score after that, getting as close as 9-8 before the Javs took eight of the next 11 rallies to make the score 17-11. That lead would eventually be reduced to three at 23-20, but a smash from Morris and a Rattler attack error finished the frame and leveled the match again.
The Javelinas completed their comeback by dominating the fifth set, first using a 6-1 spurt to jump ahead 7-3, then snatching six straight rallies for a 13-5 advantage. Jackson contributed three block assists during the latter stretch and later capped her day with the clinching kill to lock down her team's seventh straight victory.
The Javelinas next destination is Laredo, Texas, where they'll play the Texas A&M International Dustdevils twice, first on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Keep up with Javelina volleyball all season long by following @Javelina_VB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter, @JavelinaVB and @JavelinaSports on Instagram, liking TAMUK Volleyball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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