FORT SMITH, Arkansas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas on Friday where they took its first Lone Star Conference loss against the University of Arkansas Fort Smith Lions in four sets, 3-1 (16-25, 20-25, 25-20, 22-25).
The Javelinas (10-5, 2-1 LSC) came into the Gale Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center looking to continue the battle with the Lions (14-3, 5-0 LSC) which began at the LSC Preview Tournament only four weeks prior.
"We did some good things against a good team" said head coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez. "But unfortunately, we just didn't score effectively enough tonight to get the win."
Junior middle blocker Ayanna Jackson was one of those good things as she ended the night with 15 kills, five blocks, and a .464 hitting percentage.
In the first set, both squads were going kill for kill until the 5-5 mark, where UAFS went on a 12-4 run making the score 17-9. At that point the Javelinas had found their mojo as they began a surge once again going point for point with the Lions, but ultimately coming up short 25-16.
It was more of the same in set two as it was an absolute nailbiter until the 17-17 point where a 5-0 run from the Lions made it 22-17. Once the Javelinas took a timeout to get their feet under them they gained ground, but not enough as the Lions took set two 25-20.
The third set was an oddity however, as the lights went out at the Stubblefield Center leading to a delay that gave the Javelinas time to regroup and come out in set three with a bang. TAMUK started with a 10-4 run and never really looked back with multiple small 3-0 and 4-0 runs that included service aces coming from Isabel Neu and Rylan Pollard. Ayanna Jackson capped off the set winning it 25-20 with a block sending the Javelinas into set four.
Set four looked promising for the Javelinas as they took an early 11-5 lead. This however was mitigated by a 7-2 Lions run that tied things at 12 apiece. From that point on it was more of the intense back and forth between the two teams, as they stayed within three of one another ultimately ending with the Lions on top 25-22.
The Javelinas continue their road trip tomorrow with a match on Saturday September 29th, as they face Oklahoma Christian at 2 P.M. in the Payne Athletic Center.
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 X, @JavelinaVB and @JavelinaSports on Instagram, liking TAMUK Volleyball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com
