KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the second straight season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's volleyball team has gotten off to an 8-0 start that includes a 3-0 mark in the Lone Star Conference, but as the Javelinas head into the season's second month, they're preparing for their two toughest tests of the fall so far.
The first matchup of the week for the Javs' pits them against the No. 3 Angelo State Rambelles on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center in San Angelo, Texas. TAMUK will be on the court again at 2 p.m. on Saturday inside the Rip Griffin Center in Lubbock, Texas for a showdown with the Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps.
Neither ASU nor LCU has suffered a loss in LSC play through four matches they both enter October having won five-in-a-row. The Rambelles have dropped just one set during their current win streak and they own a perfect 6-0 record at home.
A huge reason for ASU's success during the season's first month has been an airtight defense. No team in the LSC averages fewer kills and aces allowed per set and only West Texas A&M has held opponents to a lower hitting percentage. During the Rambelles current run of five straight wins, they've held the opposition to a .101 hit rate and averaged 2.38 blocks per set, a number that would be good enough for third in the LSC.
The two players who've played leading roles for ASU through 13 matches have been middle blocker Baleigh Allen and right side Kailyn Gilbreath. Both players have claimed LSC Player of the Week awards, including two setter of the week awards for Gilbreath, who is fifth in the conference in assists per set and fourth in hitting percentage. No one in the LSC averages more blocks per set than Allen, who owns a per set average of 1.19 that also has her in the top 25 nationally.
So far in the fall, LCU has looked like a completely different team than the one that went 3-10 in the spring and failed to qualify for the LSC Tournament. Keith Giboney took over as head coach in Lubbock in April after 13 seasons at Harding University, where he led the Bisons to seven conference championships and over 300 wins. Giboney's squad started the year with three wins in his first four tries, then bounced back from a three-game skid to capture five-in-a-row, a streak they'll carry into a weekend that begins with a Friday night matchup with Texas A&M International.
For the Lady Chaps, middle blocker Hannah Froeschl has been filling up the stat sheet, posting a line that includes the LSC's sixth best hitting percentage. Her 38 blocks are also a team-high and she ranks second on LCU's roster in kills with 107 and third in aces with eight. Froeschl racked up 20 kills against UC-Colorado Springs in a victory on Sept. 11th and the Lady Chaps haven't lost since.
TAMUK has gotten to 8-0 and 3-0 in LSC play thanks to a cast of many and four Javelinas are in the top five in the conference in at least one statistic. That group includes sophomore Jackie Alanis (McAllen, Texas), who is fourth in the league in kills per set and sophomore Tammy Jo Grohman (San Antonio, Texas) and freshman Ayanna Jackson (San Antonio, Texas), who rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in blocks per set.
During her team's eight-match win streak, junior Nicole Murff (San Antonio, Texas) has continued to cement her status as one of the LSC's best players, leading the conference in aces per set while ranking second in digs per set. In TAMUK's most recent victory, Murff needed only three sets to rack up 28 digs as the Javs swept Texas A&M International and her efforts earned her the honor of LSC Defensive Player of the Week. For her career, Murff has amassed 1,604 digs, putting her just 405 away from the all-time program record of 2,009, held by Kim Martinez.
Fans can keep up with all the action in San Angelo and Lubbock by visiting Javelinaathletics.com, where they'll find links to live video, live stats and a postgame recap. 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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