KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team took down St. Mary's on Wednesday 23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23, 15-13, in Lone Star Conference action at the Steinke Physical Education Center, with the squad boasting a perfect 9-0 record at home.

"It was a very close match," said coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez after the sweep. "I thought it was two good teams really battling it out...Our fans are the greatest, they're loud ,they're proud it's a great atmosphere to play in and I think the girls played well they did a great job at home and we had a great season here."

The Javelinas (19-8, 11-3 LSC) wrangled the Rattlers (14-13, 10-6 LSC), capping off an undefeated home slate for the second time in the past three seasons. TAMUK previously went 7-0 in the SPEC in the 2021 spring campaign, which saw the team take home an LSC South Division Championship. 

A slew of stellar performances allowed the Javs to take a tightly contested match, with sophomore Ayanna Jackson dominating and leading the contest in kills with 20 and blocks with nine. Additionally, she was an efficient attacker with a .372 hitting percentage and a service ace to boot. 

TAMUK had four student-athletes eclipse 20 digs as classmates Meghan Stiefer, and Sydney Whitmire logged 26, while senior Nicole Murff posted 24 and junior Jackie Alanis 23. Stiefer also terminated the ball 14 times, with senior Kailey Estrada and Alanis not far behind with 12 and Madelyn Wallace with 10. Whitmire also led the match, recording 33 assists, while Estrada and Stiefer had a block party, with Estrada recording five and Stiefer four, contributing to 14 team blocks. 

The Rattlers got started in a hurry, taking a commanding 19-8 lead in the first set before TAMUK stormed back, stealing seven on the subsequent eight rallies using kills by Alanis and Stiefer as well as an Estrada block to cut the deficit to five. StMU took the next point before four Stiefer kills propelled the Javelinas to within one. Leading 22-21, the Rattlers took two, but the Javelinas answered with terminations by Jackson and Alanis, resulting in a 24-23 score line. Landri Withers and Sadie Hough then teamed up for a block, securing a 25-23 first-set win for StMU. 

The Javelinas again trailed in the second set as the Rattlers worked a 16-13 edge. An Estrada termination kickstarted a nine-point Blue and Gold swing in which Stiefer posted four kills. Now up 22-16, the teams traded points before Stiefer logged a kill and teamed up with Jackson for a block and a 25-19 win.

TAMUK carried their momentum over into the third frame, as multiple Jackson kills allowed the squad to take a 6-2 lead. The Rattlers battled back to within two, but five straight Blue and Gold points courtesy of kills by Stiefer, Wallace and Jackson handed the Javs a 14-7 edge. StMU again answered and trimmed their deficit to two before another five-score Javelina rally rebuilt the lead. The Rattlers weren't done yet, using a trio of kills later in the set to bring them back within a pair of points. Estrada, however, put the finishing touches on the frame for a 25-22 score line.

StMU jumped out in front in the fourth, using separate surges to go up 12-6. Four consecutive Wallace kills helped the Javs claim the following six points knotting the contest at 12. The Blue and Gold success continued with another six-point run resulting in an 18-13 score favoring the Javs. After slowly chipping away at the score, StMU took seven of the final nine points for a 25-23 set win that forced a deciding set.

Two Jackson kills, a Stiefer termination, and a pair of Rattler miscues afforded a 5-2 Blue and Gold lead in the fifth. The teams then traded scores as the Javs kept the opposition at arm's length until a final Estrada kill cemented a 15-13 win and an undefeated season in the SPEC.

The Javelinas now wrap up the regular season with a pair of road contests, first taking on No. 11 West Texas A&M Friday at 6 p.m. before visiting Cameron Saturday at 1 p.m. 

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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