No. 13 West Texas A&M 3, A&M-Commerce 1
Location: The Field House • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (10-17, 5-14 LSC); West Texas A&M (29-2, 18-1 LSC)
Up Next: vs. Eastern New Mexico • Saturday, Nov. 5 • 2 p.m.
COMMERCE, Texas -- Ezon Onditi had a career night, posting 19 kills and 17 digs, and the Lions won a riveting second-set victory, but 13th-ranked West Texas A&M proved to be too much to handle down the stretch, handing the Lions an 18-25, 25-23, 20-25, 22-25 defeat at the Field House. A&M-Commerce drops to 10-17 on the year and 5-14 in conference play while West Texas A&M improved to 29-2 and 18-1 in the Lone Star Conference.
"We played well, but in the end, I think it was our serving and receiving that did us in," said head coach Craig Case. "We started serving really passively and our passing wasn't very sharp, and you can't do that against a nationally-ranked team and expect to win. I think we learned a lot about ourselves tonight, and the thing I told them afterwards was that last year, we didn't learn from these close matches that we lost. If we can learn something from these losses, it will serve us well as we start looking toward next year."
Onditi's career night shattered her previous records of 14 kills and 15 digs as she also had a career-high 62 attempts, hitting .242. Rachel Robertson also had a big night, notching her second career double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs. She just missed her first career triple-double, recording eight blocks, including two solo for the Lions, with a service ace.
Chelsee Hudson finished with seven kills while Jordan Neal and Breanne Snyder each added five. Neal notched her eighth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 14 digs while adding a career-best seven blocks. Morgan Moeller led A&M-Commerce defensively with a personal-best 25 digs on the night, complemented by 19 from Dakota Crockett.
Both A&M-Commerce and West Texas A&M established the tone for the match early as the teams battled in set one. Both the Lions and the Lady Buffs were able to establish four-point leads early, only to see the other team rally back. Holding a slim 18-17 lead, West Texas found its groove late in the first, notching seven of the final eight points to take the opener 25-18.
The Lady Buffs came out aggressive in set two, building a comfortable 14-7 lead midway through and appeared on the brink of putting the set away. But the Lions would find its groove, sparked by the hot hand of Onditi, rallying to pull even with West Texas A&M at 21-21. After exchanging points, Onditi continued to be a force up front for the Lions, recording the last five A&M-Commerce points and helping energize the home team to a thrilling 25-23 decision, marking only the 10th set lost by the Lady Buffs in conference play.
Set three proved to be the most competitive of the set as both teams battled to establish the 2-1 edge in the match. Neither team was able to pull away as the Lions and Lady Buffs combined for 14 ties and five lead changes. With the set tied at 18-18, it was West Texas A&M that started to make its move, outscoring A&M-Commerce 7-2 down the stretch including a pair of blocks by Erin Dougherty to take the third 25-20.
With a potential upset on its mind, A&M-Commerce continued to battle West Texas in the third, building a 13-9 advantage. But the Lady Buffs proved why they are one of the best teams in the country, mounting a 12-3 run to pull ahead 21-16 and never looked back. The Lions were able to get to within a pair at 22-20, but the Lady Buffs thwarted the last attempt at a rally, sealing the match with a 25-22 decision.
Five players recorded double-digit kills for West Texas A&M, led by 17 from Ashley Davis and 16 from Stormi Lancaster who also posted 16 digs. Sarah Martin finished with 12 kills and 10 digs for the Lady Buffs while Dougherty and Erika Dupree each added 10. Lacy Hayes notched 52 assists with Lauren Beville finishing with 42 digs for West Texas.
One game now remains in the 2011 season as A&M-Commerce closes out the season hosting Eastern New Mexico on Saturday, November 5. Opening serve against the Zias is set for 2 p.m. at the Field House.
