KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball season continues on Friday, with the Javelinas making their way into Shawnee, Oklahoma, for the OBU Fall Tournament, beginning Friday at 11 a.m.
Last time out, the Javelinas split at the 2022 Kathleen Brasfield Invitational, picking up a five-set win over East Central before sweeping New Mexico Highlands.
Junior
Jackie Alanis and sophomore
Ayanna Jackson carry momentum into this week's competition after delivering solid performances and making their way onto the All-Tournament team in San Angelo. Alanis led the competition in kills, logging 53 over four games and averaging 3.79 kills per set. She turned in a pair of double-doubles, putting up 21 kills and 11 digs against the Tigers before recording 13 successful attacks and 11 digs in a matchup with the Cowgirls.
Jackson totaled 25 kills across the tournament, logging a .305 hitting percentage and registering nine blocks. She also averaged 3.07 points per set across a 14-set weekend. Alanis and Jackson weren't the only Javelinas to impress last weekend as senior
Nicole Murff recorded 84 digs, while sophomore
Sydney Whitmire tallied 85 assists.
The Javelinas (2-2) begin the tournament with a matchup against Union (4-1), who hosted the Union Volleyball Classic and performed well, falling only to Mississippi College and earning a victory against Lone Star Conference competitor Texas Woman's. The Bulldogs excelled at serving in their opening weekend, logging 40 aces, ranking 13th nationally. Nobody at Union has more individually than Sydney Sample, who earned 11 and also led the team in digs with 65.
Also on Friday, TAMUK will take on Arkansas Tech at 3 p.m., after the Golden Suns went 1-4, picking up their lone win in a 3-1 contest against Southwest Baptist. Defensively, they are led by Megan Solberg, who averages 4.17 digs per set, and Heather Thomas, who registered 14 blocks early in the season.
On Saturday, the Javs will battle host-school Oklahoma Baptist (0-4) at 10:30 a.m. before wrapping up the tournament against LSC-foe UT Tyler (1-3) at 2:30 p.m.
OBU has struggled early, winning just one set at the St. Could State Tournament but are riding a 21-game winning streak inside the Noble complex, a run that dates back to 2019. The Bison were picked to finish atop the Great American Conference and returned a pair of All-GAC players in Taneyah Brown and Avery Hellmuth.
UTT swept Colorado Christian to open up their season before falling to a trio of ranked opponents at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic. The Lady Patriots are currently under national consideration, despite dropping three of their four opening contests due to a stellar 2021 campaign in which they reached the NCAA Tournament. Mikayla Ware has been a standout performer for UTT, leading the squad in kills, digs, and total points. Additionally, she leads the LSC in attacks per set at 12.
Fans can keep up with Javelina Volleyball all weekend 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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