KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team will begin its Lone Star Conference schedule on Wednesday at 6 p.m. with a matchup against Texas A&M International in Laredo, Texas, before visiting Western New Mexico in Silver City, New Mexico, Saturday at noon.
The Javelinas (6-3) are looking to pick up momentum going into the conference slate after a weekend in which they went 1-2 in a trio of nonleague in-region matchups at the Austin, Texas, LSC Crossover. The event began with a four-set win over host school St. Edwards in which sophomore Ayanna Jackson led the contest with 15 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Jackson also had a stellar weekend defensively in which she recorded 13 blocks in 13 sets. On the week, sophomore Sydney Whitmire and Elisa Carli split setting duties, with Whitmire pacing the team with 101, while Carli posted 45. Nobody recorded more kills for TAMUK than junior Jackie Alanis, who recorded 51 while logging two aces.
The Dustdevils (9-3) enter the weekend after a strong showing at the LSC Crossover, going 3-1 without dropping a set in all three wins. The matchup will serve as TAMIU's home opener and will feature a ton of firepower, as both the Javelinas and Dustdevils rank in the top three in total kills. TAMIU sits atop the kill leader board with 566 and an average of 13.80 kills per set. They also lead in assists with 524. The Javelinas, meanwhile, sit third with 522. TAMUK has been more potent defensively, averaging 18.95, a figure heavily influenced by senior libero Nicole Murff, who ranks fourth nationally in digs per set with 5.76. Feature players for TAMIU include setter Emma Lade, who is tenth on the national leader board in assists averaging 11.32 per set. On the other end of Lade's sets, Mackenzie Catalina and Megan Menchaca rank inside the top five on the conference kills list, while Menchaca boasts a .305 hitting percentage.
The Mustangs (2-10) have had a tough start to their season, picking up a pair of wins over Westminster College and Western New Mexico early in the campaign. The victory over MSU occurred at last week's LSC crossover and snapped a four-game skid. Jazmyne Walker has provided the bulk of the Mustang's offense, leading the squad in kills and points. She averages 4.01 points per set and is sixth on the conference kill leader board with 154.
Fans can keep up with Javelina Volleyball all week 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.
Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network.Get the Official Javelina Athletics Mobile App today! Download on the App Store or Get It on Google Play to keep up with all the news, scores and updates of your favorite Javelinas
