KINGSVILLE, Texas – Junior Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) racked up 28 digs and freshman Ayanna Jackson (San Antonio, Texas) led all players with 13 kills as the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team swept the Texas A&M International Dustdevils, 25-11, 25-17, 26-24 on Saturday afternoon in Lone Star Conference action at the Steinke Physical Education Center in Kingsville, Texas.
Murff's 28 digs matched her season-high and were the most in a three-set match by a Javelina since 2017. Jackson's 13 smashes came with a .370 hitting percentage and she also added four blocks. Sophomore Jackie Alanis (McAllen, Texas) contributed 12 kills and senior Kelsi Luckenbach (Calallen, Texas) added nine with a .389 hitting percentage.
Junior Emily Witt (Rose Hill, Kan.) led all players in assists with 36 to go with 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Also reaching double figures in scoops was Alanis, who logged 10.
The first set was tight early, but the Javelinas soon took off on a run that made it a one-sided frame. A stretch in which the Javelinas won 10 of 12 points transformed a 5-4 TAMUK lead into a 15-6 edge and that run included five smashes from Alanis. The Javs cruised the rest of the way and secured the set by capturing the final four points, with the last one coming on a bad set by TAMIU.
Another lengthy run afforded the Javelinas control of the second frame, as they broke a 4-4 tie by taking 15 of the next 18 points. Nine of those scores came on smashes from Estrada, Luckenbach and Jackson, who helped fuel a Blue and Gold offense that tallied 19 total kills in the set. TAMIU battled back late in the game, at one point winning 10 of 15 rallies to close within seven, but they couldn't erase the deficit completely and a rocket from senior Kapri Pelle (Auburn, Calif.) provided the 25th point and gave TAMUK a 2-0 advantage.
The third set looked very different from the first two, as the Dustdevils did everything they could to push the match to a fourth. They took an early 4-1 lead, then later used an 8-1 run to earn a 16-11 edge, but Luckenbach and Jackson fueled a bounce back for the Javelinas, contributing five combined kills during a 6-1 stretch for the Blue and Gold that tied the score at 17.
The Javelinas fell behind again, 21-19, but they stole the next three points to move ahead and the teams exchanged scores until the score was level at 24. The final two points of the day came on a kill by Jackson and a TAMIU attack error, keeping the Javelinas' perfect record intact and pushing them to 8-0.
A trip to Angelo State is next on the docket for the Javelinas, who will take on the No. 2 Angelo State Rambelles on Friday 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. Get the Official Javelina Athletics Mobile App today! Download on the App Store or Get It on Google Play to keep up with all the news, scores and updates of your favorite Javelinas
