Denton - In a thrilling beginning to its Lone Star Conference schedule, the Texas A&M-Kingsville volleyball team swept the Texas Woman's Pioneers behind 14 kills from senior right side Kendall Harrington and a triple double from senior RS/setter Rylan Pollard.

The win is the Javelinas' first over the Pioneers since 2022 and sits them at the top of the conference with both their overall record (9-2) and their conference record (1-0).

"I'm very proud of my team," Head Coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez said. "We struggled at times, but they battled until the very end and found a way to get it done."

TWU scored 20-plus points in each set of the match, and forced extra points in both the first and third sets. The home team held a late lead in two of the three sets, but the Javelinas flashed their grit, mounting comebacks in each set, including when they overcame a 15-20 deficit in the first set, to complete the sweep. 

Highlighted by Pollard and Harrington's performances, the team's upperclassmen performed at a high level, and showed impressive poise to help lead TAMUK's comebacks. Pollard posted 10 kills, 19 assists, 10 digs, three blocks, and an ace, the fourth triple double of her season. Harrington notched a team-high 14 kills on a .464 attack percentage and added three digs, her seventh double-digit kill match of the year. Senior S Elisa Carli led the team in assists with 21 along with six digs, a kill, and a pair of service aces.

Both the back and front rows put together strong matches defensively, junior libero Monique Gonzalez's 17 digs leading the team, while senior outside hitter Kerigan Baumgartner and sophomore defensive specialist Tayae-Renae Garcia weren't far behind, each with 12. Pollard wasn't the only Javelina with three blocks assists, as sophomore middle Karrington Crawford had the same, as well as a solo block, four kills, and three digs.

"Every win in this conference is important," Allen-Gonzalez said. "I'm so glad we started off so strong in our first match up, but we have a lot of season left and it's important we continue to grow as a team."

The win marks the first time since the spring 2021 season that TAMUK has began its road conference schedule with a win. It provides the team with plenty of momentum heading into a date with No.10 West Texas A&M at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
  Read Full Article