Texas A&M-Kingsville 3, A&M-Commerce 0
Location: The Field House • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (10-15, 5-12 LSC); A&M-Kingsville (14-13, 6-12 LSC)
Up Next: at Tarleton State • Tuesday, Nov. 1 • 7 p.m.
COMMERCE, Texas -- A&M-Commerce got off to a slow start and was unable to recover, dropping a 22-25, 17-25, 16-25 decision to A&M-Kingsville. The Lions dropped a half game behind the Javelinas for 10th-place in the Lone Star Conference standings, falling to 10-15 on the year and 5-12 in the conference.
The Lion offensive attack struggled all afternoon, hitting .061 compared to .306 for the Javelinas. Rachel Robertson and Breanne Snyder led the way with seven kills with Kayla Bond adding six for A&M-Commerce. Ezon Onditi also had five kills for the Lions.
Jordan Neal's 28 assists led all players while Morgan Moeller posted 12 digs for A&M-Commerce. Snyder added eight digs with Neal contributing seven, while Robertson and Ciara Holmes each had a pair of blocks.
The opening set saw A&M-Commerce and A&M-Kingsville battle back and forth for the majority of the set, combining for six ties and three lead changes. With the Lions holding a 12-11 lead, the Javelinas posted a 6-1 run, taking the lead at 17-13 and never looked back. The Lions pulled to within one at 21-20, but it was A&M-Kingsville that got the key points down the stretch, taking the opener 25-22.
A&M-Commerce took the lead early in set two, building an early 7-4 advantage. But the Javelinas found their groove at that point, reeling off nine straight points to take the 13-7 lead. The Lions hung tough, pulling to within a pair at 16-14, but an extended 9-3 run down the stretch gave A&M-Kingsville the 25-17 decision and a commanding 2-0 lead at intermission.
It was a situation the Lions had been in before, trailing Incarnate Word 2-0 on Thursday evening before rallying to take a 3-2 decision. But A&M-Commerce was unable to duplicate the feat as A&M-Kingsville jumped out to the early lead in set three and never looked back. Holding a 14-12 lead, the Javelinas completed the sweep with an 11-4 run, taking the season series against A&M-Commerce.
Lakeshia Craft and Kelsey Washington each finished with 10 kills for A&M-Kingsville with Lauryn Lozano and Bethany Friesenhahn adding eight.
The quest for the Lone Star Conference tournament enters its final week as three final matches await the Lions, beginning Tuesday in Stephenville facing Tarleton State. Opening serve against the TexAnns is set for 7 p.m. A&M-Commerce then closes out the 2011 regular season at home, facing nationally-ranked West Texas A&M Thursday and Eastern New Mexico Saturday at the Field House.
