KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the first time in the fall of 2021, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team will take the court at home and their first weekend of the season in Kingsville, Texas will begin on Friday, when they host the Cameron Aggies at 6 p.m. inside the Steinke Physical Education Center, then, less than 24 hours later, the Javelinas will be tasked with battling the Midwestern State Mustangs at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
So far in the fall, the Javs have picked up right where they left off in the spring, winning their first five games to stretch their regular season win streak to 17-in-a-row. TAMUK hasn't dropped a regular season match since Nov. 16th, 2019 and they are one of the only three undefeated teams remaining in the Lone Star Conference.
Part of the reason for the Javelinas' 5-0 start has been an exceptional defense that ranks in the LSC's top five in blocks per set and digs per set. The team's rate of 2.52 rejections per set stands 12th-best in Division II and three Javelinas sit inside the conference's top 11 in that same statistic.
The two players closest to the top are sophomore Tammy Jo Grohman (San Antonio, Texas), who owns fourth, and freshman Ayanna Jackson (San Antonio, Texas), who is sixth in the league. Grohman and Jackson each piled up nine total blocks in their team's most recent victory, a five-set nail-biter over Ouachita Baptist on Sept. 8th.
The list of those who've helped fuel TAMUK's offense includes sophomore Jackie Alanis (McAllen, Texas), whose 3.52 kills per set rate is eighth-best in the conference, and junior Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas), who tops the roster with a .333 attack percentage.
Alanis put on a show in her team's win over OBU with 24 kills, the most by a Javelina since 2018, and she did so while hitting .351 and adding 10 digs for her second double-double of the year. Alanis is also one of four players who has yet to miss a set for the Javs in the fall.
The last time Estrada was on the court, she was churning out 13 kills at a .571 clip to help her team conquer Anderson. The junior from San Antonio is again returning to the form she showcased in the spring, when she was top 10 in the LSC in hitting percentage and blocks per set and was named all-conference.
In both the Mustangs and the Aggies, the Javelinas will be facing two teams attempting to find their footing in the fall of 2021. Cameron will enter Friday's match looking to end a seven-match losing streak that dates back to Sept. 3rd. They will also be attempting to add to a 23-18 edge in the all-time series, but they've dropped their previous seven matchups with the Javs, last defeating TAMUK in 2015.
MSU's season began with six straight losses, but they rebounded with wins in their last two matches, topping Eastern New Mexico and Arkansas Tech. Senior Lissette Lefforge played a critical role for the Mustangs in those two victories, putting together a combined stat line that included 27 kills against only six errors for a .467 hitting percentage. Lefforge also leads her team with 26 total blocks.
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.
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