A&M-Commerce 3, Ouachita Baptist 2
Location: Wisdom Gym · Stephenville, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (5-0); Ouachita Baptist (0-5)
Southeastern Oklahoma State 3, A&M-Commerce 2
Location: Wisdom Gym · Stephenville, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (5-1); Southeastern Oklahoma State (1-5)
Up Next: vs. William Jewell (9:30 a.m.) and vs. New Mexico Highlands (2:30 p.m.)
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Senior middle blocker Rachel Robertson joined elite company Friday, notching a pair of 20-kill performances for A&M-Commerce, surpassing 1,000 career kills as the Lions split on the opening day of the 2012 Tarleton Volleyball Invitational. A&M-Commerce outlasted Ouachita Baptist in five sets before dropping a hard-fought five-set defeat to Southeastern Oklahoma State later in the day.
Robertson entered the day tied for ninth all-time in program history with 999 kills, but quickly became the ninth member of the 1,000-kill club, recording a combined 42 kills through the pair of matches. Robertson also jumped three spots on the all-time list, moving into sole possession of sixth-place in program history with 1,041 career kills.
Looking to build off last week's dominating performance at the Henderson State Invitational, the Lions faced a challenging opening match against winless Ouachita Baptist, who came out with upset on its mind. The Tigers took a 25-23 decision in set one, with A&M-Commerce responding with a 25-22 victory in set two. Ouachita Baptist returned the favor, taking a 25-22 decision in set three, putting the Lions in an elimination set for the first time this season. But A&M-Commerce rallied, taking the fourth 25-20 before closing out the match with a 15-7 tally in the fifth.
Robertson had an incredible performance in her milestone match, notching 20 kills with just two errors and hitting .529 while notching eight digs and a pair of aces. Fellow middle blocker Breanne Snyder followed suit with 12 kills on a career-best 52 attempts and 10 digs, notching her first double-double of the season. Sophomore Ezon Onditi finished with nine kills for the Lions while Ciara Holmes added seven of her own to complement three blocks.
Setter Jordan Neal finished with 45 assists and 18 digs for her second double-double of the season while libero Michaela Spicer led the way with 24 digs defensively for the Lions. Morgan Moeller was the fourth Lion to post double-digit dig totals, posting 11 while adding five kills and a pair of aces.
Up next for A&M-Commerce was a Southeastern Oklahoma State team that also had not won a match all season, but the Savage Storm roared out to a commanding 2-0 lead after taking the first two sets 26-24 and 25-22. The Lions would recover and earn a pair of convincing decisions in sets three and four, winning 25-17 and 25-18 to force the decisive fifth set. A&M-Commerce held the lead midway through the fifth, but couldn't hold it as Southeastern Oklahoma found its groove and handed the Lions their first loss of the season with a 15-12 decision.
Robertson continued her impressive play, notching 22 kills against the Savage Storm by hitting .327 with seven digs and six blocks. Moeller assisted her fellow senior by notching 12 kills and 11 digs for her first double-double of the season while junior Kayla Bond added 11 kills on .357 hitting with four digs and three blocks.
Neal posted her third-straight double-double finishing with 43 assists and 12 digs as five Lions posted double-digit dig totals, led by Spicer's season-high 27 with four assists. Snyder finished with 15 digs to complement her seven kills while sophomore Savanah Neal finished with 13 digs on the night. But too many A&M-Commerce errors proved to be the difference, snapping their season-opening five-match winning streak.
The Lions will have little time to think about the loss, however, as A&M-Commerce returns to the court at Wisdom Gym early Saturday morning, facing William Jewell at 9:30 a.m. The Lions then close out the weekend with a 2:30 date against New Mexico Highlands.
