A&M-Commerce 3, Incarnate Word 0
Location: McDermott Center · San Antonio, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (8-1, 1-0 LSC); Incarnate Word (3-6, 0-1 LSC)
Up Next: at Texas A&M-Kingsville · Saturday, Sept. 15 · 1 p.m.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – A&M-Commerce continued its blistering start to the 2012 season, recording its sixth three-set sweep of the year with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-21 victory over Incarnate Word in its Lone Star Conference opener. The Lions improve to 8-1 on the year, keeping pace with the program's best start since the 2002 season.

Sophomore Ezon Onditi paced the balanced Lion offensive attack, recording 10 kills with just one error and a .500 hitting percentage, complemented by a pair of blocks. Senior Morgan Moeller added nine kills and eight digs for A&M-Commerce with junior Kayla Bond notching seven kills with a .429 hitting percentage and four digs.

Senior Rachel Robertson had a quiet night for the Lions, notching just five kills with a pair of blocks while sophomore Breanne Snyder posted five kills and eight digs as well. Junior Jordan Neal notched 29 assists, five service aces and 12 digs while sophomore Michaela Spicer led the way defensively with 16 digs and five assists.

A&M-Commerce came out firing from the opening set, pulling out to a 15-11 lead midway through the opening set. Incarnate Word would rally back, using a 7-3 run to pull even at 18-18, but the Lions were unphased by the comeback, getting crucial points when it counted to put away the Cardinals in the opening set 25-22 which was capped by a block from Robertson and Neal.

That momentum carried over into the second as A&M-Commerce roared out to a commanding 16-9 lead behind an 8-1 run midway through the set. Incarnate Word was able to claw to within two at 17-15, but an 8-5 stretch by the Lions gave A&M-Commerce the commanding 2-0 lead.

The Lions then did what they have been able to do all season, closing out the match when they had the chance. After falling behind early in the third, A&M-Commerce outscored Incarnate Word 14-5 early in the set to build a commanding 15-9 lead, only to see the Cardinals mount one last rally to pull to within one at 21-20. But Onditi did her part to seal the win, recording three key kills down the stretch as A&M-Commerce notched four of the last five points to earn their eighth victory in nine tries this season.

With the win, A&M-Commerce has now won two-straight against Incarnate Word, pulling the all-time series one match closer at a 7-5 advantage for the Cardinals. The Lions have recorded sweeps in six of their eight victories on the year and continued to match the start of the 2002 team which went 9-1 through its first 10 games of the season.

The Lions now look to match the 2002 team , making the two-and-a-half hour trek to Kingsville for a Saturday showdown with the Javelinas. Opening serve is set for 1 p.m. as Lion fans can keep track of each A&M-Commerce point with live stats available at LionAthletics.com.