KINGSVILLE, Texas — On Thursday, the Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team earned a thrilling five-set come-from-behind victory over Texas A&M International, 21-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-7 at the Steinke Physical Education Center in their first home match of 2022.
"I'm really proud of them," said coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez after the comeback. "They made a lot of adjustments between sets two and three and then they were able to maintain that and play pretty consistently for the last three sets."
The Javelinas (9-6, 1-1 LSC) were down two sets against the Dustdevils (11-4, 2-0 LSC) before stellar play by sophomore Ayanna Jackson helped spark a comeback. Jackson paced the Javelinas in kills, logging 16 while topping the contest in blocks with seven. Additionally, the San Antonio native was incredibly efficient in attack, hitting .560 against TAMIU.
Junior Jackie Alanis and freshman Madelyn Wallace joined Jackson in the double-digit kill club, as the pair each posted 13. Defensively, Jackson was assisted by senior Kailey Estrada, who sent six Dustdevil attacks back, and classmate Nicole Murff who boasted 26 digs in the win.
Making an impact in her first match inside the SPEC, freshman Rylan Pollard excelled with eight kills and four blocks that each represents a new career high. Sophomore Sydney Whitmire and freshman Elisa Carli both surpassed 20 assists in the contest, with Whitmire posting 27 while Carli dished out 22 helpers.
TAMIU found a 10-6 lead early in the first set before a trio of kills courtesy of Jackson, sophomore Meghan Stiefer, and Wallace sparked a six-point Blue and Gold swing. The Dustdevils regrew their lead with multiple spurts, resulting in a 21-17 edge. A TAMIU miscue and a Jackson kill trimmed the deficit to three. The Dustdevils, however, regrouped, taking the frame 25-21.
A back-and-forth start to the second set resulted in an 8-7 Blue and Gold lead, but a three-point shift favoring TAMIU put the opposition up 10-8. Later in the set, with the Dustdevils leading 13-10, TAMIU stole six of the following seven rallies to stretch their lead to seven. They managed to keep TAMUK at arm's length for the remainder of the set, earning another 25-21 win.
With the Javelinas trailing 8-7 in the third set, the Javelinas kick-started the comeback using kills by Estrada, Steifer, and Jackson to go up 12-9. A service error gave TAMIU another point before a Jackson kill and Stiefer aces propelled the Javs on a six-point surge that resulted in an 18-10 score line. TAMUK promptly put the set away, keeping the match going with a 25-17 victory.
A five-point run in the fourth, bookended by an Alanis kill and ace, put the Javs up 10-7 early. Later in the set, with TAMIU trailing by one, the teams traded three-point spurts for a 14-13 score line favoring TAMUK. A kill for Wallace and a pair of Dustdevil errors then put the Javs up 17-13 before a four-point swing featuring successful attacks by Wallace, Alanis and Pollard handed the Javelinas a 22-15 edge. Jackson capped the set off with a kill for a 25-20 score that cemented a five-set finale.
Back-to-back blocks by Estrada, with help from Pollard and Stiefer, put the Javs out in front, while a Dustdevil error resulted in a 3-0 score. TAMIU got two back before six consecutive Blue and Gold points that saw blocks by Estrada, Stiefer, Pollard, and Jackson and a 9-2 Javelina lead. An Alanis kill put the Javs one point away from completing the comeback, but a wide TAMIU attack sealed a 15-7 set and match win.
The Javelinas will be back in the SPEC on Friday, Sept. 30, as they welcome the Lions of Arkansas-Fort Smith at 6 p.m. before hosting Oklahoma Christian Saturday, Oct. 1, 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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