KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team swept Oklahoma Christian 25-19, 25-11, 25-19 in a Lone Star Conference matchup and picked up their fifth straight win on Saturday inside the Steinke Physical Education Center.
"They were phenomenal," said coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez after the sweep. "They came out and executed exactly what we worked on all week. It was really nice to see them firing on all cylinders."
The Javelinas (11-6, 3-1 LSC) overwhelmed the Eagles (11-7, 3-3 LSC) after falling to OC earlier in the season. Additionally, TAMUK led in nearly every statistic, as they recorded more digs, kills, blocks, and aces than the opposition.
Sophomore Meghan Stiefer recorded six aces in the matchup, which ties the fifth best individual performance in school history. She represents the first Javelina to eclipse five aces since Krystal Faison did so in 2017. Stiefer also led the matchup in blocks sending four Eagle attacks back and logging four kills, with nine digs.
Nobody had more successful attacks than classmate Ayanna Jackson who posted 17 at an incredibly efficient .615 clip, while freshman Rylan Pollard logged six at .625. As a team, the Javelinas out-blocked the Eagles 6-3, with Jackson and senior Kailey Estrada each boasting three. Nicole Murff was also incredible defensively, as the senior libero led the match in digs with 15 and remained perfect in serve receive.
Sophomore Sydney Whitmire and freshman Elisa Carli split setting duties in the victory, with each logging 20 assists, while Whitmire had two service aces.
A back-and-forth start to the first set saw OC use a three-point spurt to take a 14-10 lead before the Javs answered with an Eagle miscue leading to back-to-back Jackson kills and a 14-13 score line. OC sided out, but a service error and successful attacks by sophomore Jackie Alanis and Estrada handed the Javs a 16-15 edge. With the score, 20-19 favoring TAMUK, a kill by Pollard kick-started a five-score rally that was capped off with a Carli point and a 25-19 set win.
The Javelinas picked up right where they left off, snagging the first seven points in the second set with two kills and three service aces by Steifer and kills courtesy of Jackson and Alanis. The hot start allowed TAMUK to keep OC at arm's length for the remainder of the frame as a kill by freshman Jeri Ficklen cemented a dominating 25-11 victory.
OC jumped out in front early in the third set, claiming a 9-4 edge. From there, the Javelinas orchestrated a ten-point swing with kills being recorded by Pollard, Jackson, and Steifer, while Murff logged an ace. While leading 14-9, the squad coasted to a 25-19 set win that extended their winning streak to five.
The Javelinas will now hit the road as they visit Dallas, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 7, for a matchup with DBU, before taking on UT Tyler at noon on Saturday, Oct. 12, in another pivotal LSC contest.
Fans can follow Javelina volleyball all season long via Javelinaathletics.com, where they'll find links to live video and stats and a recap at the end of each match. Stay up-to-date with everything related to 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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