Incarnate Word 3, A&M-Commerce 1
Location: McDermott Center * San Antonio, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (2-7, 1-6 LSC); Incarnate Word (7-7, 4-4 LSC)
Up Next: at Texas A&M-Kingsville * Saturday, Sept. 24 * 1 p.m.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Another slow start put A&M-Commerce in the hole early as the Lions were unable to overcome the deficit, falling to Incarnate Word 9-25, 15-25, 25-21, 22-25 at the McDermott Center Thursday evening. The Lions fall to 2-7 overall and 1-6 in Lone Star Conference play while the Cardinals improve to 7-7 overall and 4-4 in conference.
The duo of Breanne Snyder and Rachel Robertson once again paced the A&M-Commerce offensive attack as Snyder knocked down 15 kills on the night with Robertson adding 11. Snyder just missed a double-double, finishing with nine digs and a block while Robertson posted three blocks defensively.
Jordan Neal did finish with a double-double for A&M-Commerce, recording 40 assists and a team-high 12 digs on the night. Kayla Bond added nine kills and a pair of blocks for the Lions while Haley Richburg and Savanah Neal each had nine digs defensively.
As has been the case over the past few weeks, A&M-Commerce came out slow from the get-go as Incarnate Word cruised to the comfortable 25-9 opening set victory, followed by a 25-15 decision in set two, taking a 2-0 lead into intermission.
Once again, however, the Lions seemed to find their groove in set three, as with the Cardinals leading 14-13 near the midway point, A&M-Commerce responded with an 8-1 run, led by three kills from Snyder during the run, to take control of the third at 21-15. Incarnate Word would put together a run of its own, outscoring the Lions 5-1 to pull to within two at 22-20, but A&M-Commerce would maintain its edge, pulling away at the end for a 25-21 decision.
But the momentum was short-lived as it was Incarnate Word that set the tempo early in the fourth set, racing out to a 13-6 lead. The Cardinals would extend that advantage to eight at 17-9 before A&M-Commerce mounted one last stand, compiling a 9-2 rally to cut the deficit to one at 19-18. But three-straight attack errors by the Lions gave Incarnate Word the 23-19 lead that it wouldn't relinquish, holding off A&M-Commerce 25-22 in set four to take the match.
Three different Cardinals recorded double-digit kill totals, led by Elizabeth Soukup's 17-kill, 13-dig double-double. Anna Herr finished with 11 kills for Incarnate Word with Chelsea Grayson adding 10 in the victory. Lydia Werchan led all players with 14 digs on the night.
The A&M-Commerce road trip continues as the Lions now head to deep South Texas for a match-up with Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday. The opening serve between the Lions and the Javelinas is set for 1 p.m. at the Steinke Center.
