A&M-Commerce 3, LeMoyne-Owen 0
Location: Duke Wells Center • Arkadelphia, Ark.
Records: A&M-Commerce (3-0); LeMoyne-Owen (0-4)
A&M-Commerce 3, Henderson State 0
Location: Duke Wells Center • Arkadelphia, Ark.
Records: A&M-Commerce (4-0); Henderson State (1-3)
Up Next: at Tarleton State Invitational • Sept. 7-8 • Stephenville, Texas
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – A&M-Commerce put the cap on a perfect weekend at the Henderson State Invitational, notching three-set sweeps over both LeMoyne-Owen and the host Lady Reddies. The Lions won all 12 sets they competed in over the weekend, improving to 4-0 on the year for the first time since the 2003 season.
"We played well all weekend, and I feel that we definitely earned these victories," said head coach Craig Case. "We came in wanting to focus on winning each point, and it was a challenge the team really embraced. The majority of those points we earned – they weren't given to us by our opponent errors, so all in all it was a successful weekend and a good way to start off the season."
For their efforts, Rachel Robertson and Jordan Neal were named to the All-Tournament team. Robertson notched 47 kills on the weekend, giving her 999 for her career and moving her into a tie with Chantae Weathers for ninth all-time in program history. Neal dished out 141 assists through 12 sets, averaging 11.75 for the weekend.
In the opening match of the day, A&M-Commerce faced off with LeMoyne-Owen and dominated the Magicians from practically the opening serve. There were only seven ties and two lead changes in the entire match as the Lions pounced early in each set, taking the opener 25-16, winning the second 25-13 and closing out the match with a 25-15 victory in the clincher.
The senior duo of Morgan Moeller and Robertson led the way for A&M-Commerce as Moeller notched 10 kills, a .286 hitting percentage and four service aces while Robertson added nine kills, a .333 hitting percentage, three aces and four blocks up front. The duo combined for 28 of the Lions' 61 points in the match as A&M-Commerce hit .291 while limiting LeMoyne-Owen to just .077.
Junior Kayla Bond and sophomore Ezon Onditi each posted seven kills for the Lions with Onditi hitting a team-best .462 for the match with three blocks as sophomore Chelsee Hudson added six kills for A&M-Commerce. Neal did a great job of controlling the offense, dishing out 38 assists while Michaela Spicer recorded a team-best five digs.
It was a good thing the Lions made quick work of the Magicians as A&M-Commerce returned to the court less than an hour later, facing host Henderson State in the weekend finale. The opening set proved to be one of the most competitive of the weekend as the Lions held off the Lady Reddies 26-24. That seemed to energize A&M-Commerce who went on to control sets two and three, downing Henderson State 25-19 and 25-16 to complete the weekend sweep.
Robertson once again paced A&M-Commerce, notching 13 kills with just two errors on 18 attacks, hitting a blistering .661 with a pair of aces and five blocks. Sophomore Breanne Snyder added 11 kills, three aces and six digs for the Lions with Moeller registering eight kills, a pair of aces and five digs as well.
Neal finished with a double-double in the tournament finale, distributing 35 assists and digging 11 attempts while adding three blocks. Spicer also played a key role in the back row, leading all players with 12 digs to go along with three assists.
With the opening weekend now in its rearview mirror, A&M-Commerce looks to build on that success as it heads into another challenging two-day, four-match tournament hosted by Lone Star Conference rival Tarleton State in Stephenville. The Lions face Ouachita Baptist and Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday, September 7, then return to the court Saturday for showdowns with William Jewell and New Mexico Highlands.
