Cameron 3, A&M-Commerce 1
Location: Aggie Gymnasium • Lawton, Okla.
Records: A&M-Commerce (12-4, 4-3 LSC); Cameron (6-10, 2-5 LSC)
Up Next: at Tarleton State • Friday, Oct. 5 • 7 p.m. • Stephenville
LAWTON, Okla. – A&M-Commerce dug itself an early hole on the road and was never able to recover, dropping a 18-25, 26-28, 25-18, 15-25 decision to Cameron at Aggie Gym in Lawton, Okla. The Lions fall to 12-4 on the season and 4-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
Once again, it was senior middle blocker Rachel Robertson leading the way with 18 kills, a .368 hitting percentage, six digs and a pair of blocks for A&M-Commerce with Kayla Bond adding 10 kills, a .308 hitting percentage and three blocks in defeat for the Lions. Breanne Snyder just missed finishing in the double-digit kill column, recording nine kills and six digs.
That was all the offense the Lions could muster on a hot and humid day inside Aggie Gym as just three other players recorded kills on the afternoon. Jordan Neal posted another double-double, finishing with 39 assists and 10 digs while Michaela Spicer continued to be solid in the back row, notching 25 digs to lead A&M-Commerce.
Coming off a big 3-1 victory at Midwestern State Friday evening, the Lions were hoping to carry that momentum into its match with the Aggies and battled Cameron strong through the opening part of the first set, trailing by one at 14-13 at the midway point. But Cameron found its groove late in the first, outscoring the Lions 11-5 down the stretch to take the opener 25-18.
Set two once again proved to be the pivotal stanza as A&M-Commerce and Cameron combined for 13 ties and six lead changes. The Aggies looked as if they would pull away late once again, building a 20-15 lead. But the Lions roared back to reclaim the lead and were serving for set point twice, once at 24-23 and again at 26-25. But it was the Aggies that made the key points when it counted, using a pair of kills from Rebecca Green and a service ace to rally to the 28-26 decision in set two to take a 2-0 lead into intermission.
A&M-Commerce would respond in the third as the Lions seized control of the set early, building a 14-8 advantage. From that point on, A&M-Commerce kept Cameron at bay, pulling away down the stretch to take the third set 25-18 and give itself new life. But that momentum was quickly thwarted in the fourth as Cameron built itself an early 14-6 lead, then extended it to as many as 12 at 21-9 before finishing off the Lions with a 25-15 victory in the fourth.
It marks the third-straight win for Cameron over the Lions as the Aggies had four players finish in double-figures for kills, led by 15 apiece for Shannon Dulaney and Rebecca Green as Annelise Carpenter added 14 for Cameron. Jenna Risoli notched a double-double with 47 assists and 12 digs while Julisa Ocasio recorded 30 digs on the afternoon.
A&M-Commerce now has a week to adjust before resuming it's tough four-match Lone Star Conference road trip. The Lions take to the floor Friday, October 5 in Stephenville taking on Tarleton State at 7 p.m. before facing nationally-ranked Angelo State in San Angelo on Saturday, October 6.
