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Box Score 2 SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team started their 2021-22 season in grand fashion on Friday, beginning the day with a 16-25, 26-24, 25-17, 21-25, 15-8 win over the Western Colorado Mountaineers, then sweeping the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers, 25-18, 25-17, 25-19 at the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center in San Angelo, Texas on the first day of the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational.
"We struggled in serve receive in the first match and I thought we did a great job bouncing back and improving on it in the second match," said coach Tanya Allen. "Overall, the team did a fantastic job of competing and keeping our energy high. Their positivity and competitiveness kept us in a lot of points."
This marks the third straight season and the seventh time in eight years the Javelinas have begun the season 2-0.
TAMUK vs. Western Colorado
The Mountaineers spent much of the early part of the match in control and that began in the opening set, when they jumped out to an 8-3 lead. The Javs erased that deficit to go in front, 14-12, but a run of 12 straight points by WCU put the frame out of reach and it ended on a Javelina attack error.
The second game looked like it might have a similar result when the Mountaineers seized the lead early and rode that momentum to a 23-16 edge, but that's when the Javs turned the match around. Three kills by freshman Allison Stachowiak (Brownsville, Texas) sparked a 6-0 burst by the Blue and Gold to get within 23-22. After a score from WCU put them at set point, TAMUK took the next four rallies, finished off by a WCU attack error to flip the set, 26-24, to the Javs.
"A couple kids came off the bench and made some big plays to give us some momentum," said Allen. "Then, once they all calmed down and got the first-day jitters out of the way, it was just a matter of executing the plays."
The momentum from TAMUK's second set comeback didn't dissipate in the third, with two kills and a block from freshman Ayanna Jackson (San Antonio, Texas) helping the Javelinas build an 11-2 advantage. Seven points was the closest the Mountaineers could get after that and a WCU service error provided the 25th point for a 2-1 Blue and Gold lead.
WCU rebounded to win the fourth frame, but the final set was all Javelinas. Two more smashes from Jackson contributed to an 8-0 run that changed the score from 1-1 to 9-1. When the Mountaineers rattled off five straight points to pull within five at 13-8, back-to-back WCU errors provided the scores TAMUK needed to ice the match.
TAMUK vs. Northwestern Oklahoma State
The Javelinas outhit the Rangers to the tune of a .343 hitting percentage compared to NWOSU's .176 and TAMUK also finished with a side-out percentage of just under 70. Jackson's 15 kills led all players while sophomore Jackie Alanis (McAllen, Texas) added 13. Junior Emily Witt (Rose Hill, Kan.) topped the stat sheet with 25 assists and freshman Sydney Whitmire (Tarkington, Texas) tacked on 10 more with junior Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) scooping up 17 digs.
Four Ranger errors contributed to an early stretch of play in which the Javs went up, 7-1 in the opening moments of the contest. NWOSU later sliced that decifit to three at 16-13, but a kill by junior Kailey Estrada (San Antonio, Texas), a Jordan Schenkel (San Antonio, Texas) ace and a smash from Alanis gave the Javs some breathing room at 21-15 and they later finished the set with back-to-back aces courtesy of Whitmire.
Sophomore Tammy Jo Grohman (San Antonio, Texas) came out firing in the next game, reeling off three straight finishers and adding a block assist as TAMUK claimed a quick 5-0 lead. An 8-3 stretch for the Rangers pulled them to within two, only for the Javs to slowly stretch their margin to seven, helped by a pair of Alanis kills. Jackson then almost single-handedly ended the frame, with a block assist sandwiched between two kills, the latter one providing the 25th point.
The third game was tight early until a smash and an ace from Jackson helped the Javs log four-in-a-row and take a 10-5 lead. After the Rangers shaved the Javelina lead to a point, two more Jackson rockets contributed to a 5-0 burst and an 18-12 Blue and Gold edge. NWOSU could get no closer than two points after that and Alanis' 31st kill of the day locked down a Javelina sweep.
One more day in San Angelo remains for Allen and her team. They'll start bright and early with an 8 a.m. matchup against East Central, followed by a 4 p.m. clash with Anderson. 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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