SAN ANGELO, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball wrapped up the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational Tournament inside Stephens Arena at the Junell Center on Saturday, first falling to Southern Nazarene, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20, before sweeping New Mexico Highlands 25-22, 25-19, 29-27 to close out the day.
"This was a good weekend for us as a team," said coach
Tanya Allen-Gonzalez after splitting the opening weekend. " We have a lot of things we have to work on, but we had a number of kids step up when we needed them. I think that definitely shows that we have depth in every position."
Game One vs. Southern Nazarene
The Crimson Storm bested the Javelinas in straight sets to open up Saturday's competition. In the loss, junior
Jackie Alanis recorded double-digit kills for the second consecutive match, logging 11, while freshman
Rylan Pollard and sophomore
Meghan Stiefer each managed eight. Classmate
Sydney Whitmire and newcomer
Elisa Carli set the table for the Javs, with Whitmire issuing 17 assists and Carli 16. Defensively, senior
Kailey Estrada logged three blocks, increasing her season total to eight, while classmate
Nicole Murff totaled 12 digs.
TAMUK fought back from a 6-2 deficit in the opening frame with a five-point swing featuring back-to-back kills by Pollard before a senior
Tammy Jo Grohman attack tied the contest 7-7. An SNU surge followed, with the opposition scoring six of the next eight points for a 13-9 lead. TAMUK clawed back later in the set with kills by Stiefer and sophomore
Ayanna Jackson, leading to an ace by Carli and a 17-16 score line. With the game knotted at 22, Pollard smashed one over the net, giving the Javelinas a slim lead before SNU rattled off three straight, ending the period.
The teams continued to trade blows in the second set, with the game tied at nine apiece, before Pollard prompted a three-point shift with a kill. A Jackson block and Crimson Storm miscue followed, resulting in a 12-9 Blue and Gold lead. SNU earned four of the next five points for a 13-13 tie. The Javelinas quickly answered with a 5-1 run featuring kills by Estrada and Grohman for a 20-16 lead. Four straight points for the Crimson Storm occurred before another successful Estrada attack tied the game 21-21. SNU then logged four points down the stretch cementing a second-set victory.
Another hot start allowed the Crimson Storm to keep the Javelinas at arm's length for most of the third set, building up a 17-11 lead. The Javs answered with a 7-2 run, as kills by Stiefer, Alanis, and freshman
Jeri Ficklen trimmed the deficit to one. With the score line 19-18, SNU recovered, rattling off three straight points before closing the match with a 25-20 third-set victory.
Game Two vs. New Mexico Highlands
A handful of solid performances allowed the Javelinas to knock off the Cowgirls, including Alanis, who logged her first double-double of the season totaling 13 kills and 11 digs. She wasn't the only Javelina to reach double figures in digs, as Murff led the contest, recording 20, while junior
Jordan Schenkel logged 10. Whitmire again led the Javs in assists boasting 20, with nine digs of her own. Additionally, Jackson turned in a solid performance on both sides of the ball, smashing eight kills while blocking four attacks.
The Cowgirls jumped out to an early 5-2 edge after taking the first three points, a lead that increased to four before the Javelinas battled back and tied the contest at 16 thanks to a Schenkel service ace. With TAMUK down 22-21, the Javs rattled off four straight kills courtesy of Jackson and Alanis, handing them a first-set victory.
A four-point run early in the second set put the Javelinas up 5-3 before NMU stole four of the subsequent five rallies to take a one-score lead. Sophomore
Allison Stachowiak slammed an Alanis set over the net, knotting the game 7-7. The Javs later found themselves trailing 11-9, sparking a six-point surge that handed them a 15-11 lead. The run featured multiple service aces by Alanis as well as blocks by Estrada and Ficklen. Back-to-back kills by Jackson put the Javs up 18-13, a lead they never relinquished as another Alanis kill capped off the second stanza.
The Cowgirls didn't go quietly, as a third set battle ensued, resulting in a 13-13 deadlock. An NMHU spurt matched a four-point Javelina run for a 19-19 score line. Consecutive kills by Stiefer put the Javelinas up 23-22. A Cowgirl kill then tied the contest as the teams traded blows before a 24-24 score line created a win-by-two situation. TAMUK later prevailed as back-to-back attacking errors allowed them to claim a 29-27 third-set victory as well as the match.
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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