AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team suffered a five-set setback against Eastern New Mexico, falling 26-28, 26-24, 24-26, 27-25, 15-11 on the final day of the LSC Crossover at the SEU Recreation and Convocation Center on Saturday.
The Javelinas (6-5) dropped a heartbreaker to the Greyhounds (9-3), with freshman Meghan Stiefer delivering a stellar defensive performance with eight blocks and 13 digs. Additionally, sophomore Ayanna Jackson sent seven attacks back while totaling seven kills.
Senior Kailey Estrada was incredibly efficient throughout the contest, hitting .417 and logging 12 kills with three blocks. Nobody scored more points in the match than junior Jackie Alanis, who logged 24 kills at a .368 clip, with a service ace and 10 digs.
Senior Nicole Murff and sophomore Sydney Whitmire joined Stiefer and Alanis in the double-digit dig club, while Whitmire also led the contest in assists with 33.
The Greyhounds jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, promoting a Javelina timeout. Following the break, a successful Estrada attack, a Stiefer kill, and a shared block by Jackson and freshman Madelyn Wallace allowed the Javs to pull within three. ENMU rebuilt their lead, going up 15-9 before TAMUK strung together five straight, using multiple Alanis kills to trim the deficit to one. The teams traded points before back-to-back blocks by Jackson and Stiefer handed the Javs a 20-19 edge. The Greyhounds answered with a four-point swing that resulted in a 23-20 ENMU lead, but TAMUK kept fighting as kills by Alanis, and two Greyhound errors tied the contest at 25. Shortly after, a kill and a perfectly placed serve by Alanis put the Javs up 27-26 before a successful Steifer attack put the finishing touches on the set.
ENMU took a slight lead to begin the second frame before kills by Jackson and Alanis helped tie the contest at six. The game remained deadlocked prior to a stretch that saw multiple Greyhounds spurts deliver a 20-14 ENMU lead. The Javs took six of the subsequent seven rallies as kills by Estrada, Wallace, and Stiefer resulted in a 21-19 scoreline. With the Greyhounds up 23-20, a ball handling error and successful attacks by Jackson and Stiefer put the Javs one point down before a junior Tammy Jo Grohman kill created a win-by-two scenario. ENMU, however, prevailed, taking the set 26-24.
After trading the first four rallies, TAMUK used a four-point surge and a freshman Elisa Carli ace to go up 6-2 in the third. The Greyhounds fought back to within one before TAMUK put together a 5-1 run for a five-point lead. With the Javs up 15-10, the teams traded scores before a four-point Greyhound swing made the score 19-18. The battle continued with the Greyhounds knotting the contest at 24 as an attacking error, and an Alanis kill handed TAMUK a 26-24 set win.
With the fourth frame knotted at seven, ENMU took four of the following five points to go up 11-8, prompting a TAMUK timeout. After the break, the Javelinas worked their way back, with multiple Alanis kills leading to a 13-13 tie. The Greyhounds used a three-point surge later in the set to take a 23-19 lead before Alanis sparked a five-score run with a Whitmire ace and Wallace kill, putting TAMUK up 24-23. Another successful attack by Alanis placed the Javs one point away from victory, but three straight Greyhound points sent the contest to a fifth set.
A 4-4 start kickstarted the deciding set before a three-point TAMUK swing courtesy of a Wallace kill, a shared block by Stiefer and Jackson, and a successful Steifer attack put the Javs up 7-4. The Greyhounds continued fighting, eventually tying the contest at eight, before taking the following seven points for a 12-8 edge. ENMU never looked back, taking the frame 15-11.
The Javelinas will be back in action on Wednesday, Sep. 14, as they begin the conference slate with a showdown in Laredo, Texas against Texas A&M International.
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 agram, liking TAMUK Volleyball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com.
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