CANYON, TEXAS– The A&M-Commerce volleyball team went into Canyon, Texas for a match with the No. 23 ranked West Texas A&M. The Lions gave the Lone Star Conference champions a tough time for brief spurts, but ultimately fell in three sets. The Lady Buffs have now gone two seasons in a row without dropping a conference game.
 
The Lions started the first set matching the intensity of West Texas A&M on the Lady Buffs' senior night. Back- to-back Amy Davault and Taryn Driver kills tied the set early at 4-4. Sydney Reyes sparked a run with a kill that was highlighted by a Denalnee Clark-block and Davault and was capped off with a Clark kill that pulled the Lions within 2 points, 14-12. The Lady Buffs ran away with the first set following a 5-0 run that put West Texas A&M ahead 20-13.
 
Davault ignited the offense early in the second set with a kill that was followed by a Driver kill. The run was capped off by a West Texas A&M attack-error, which gave A&M-Commerce a 9-4 advantage. Back-to-back kills by Ryes and Courtney Tate gave the Lions a 13-9 lead. However, the Lady Buffs would answer with a 4-0 run, tying the set at 13-13. With the score tied at 17, a 6-0 West Texas A&M run was too much for the Lions to overcome, dropping the second set 25-19.
 
With the Lions trailing 8-6 in the third set, a Davault service ace would spark a 6-0 run that gave A&M-Commerce an 11-8 advantage, highlighted by a Driver kill and capped off by another Davault ace. A Driver kill gave the Lions a 14-11 lead. The Lady Buffs answered with a run of their own, scoring seven of the next nine points to take an 18-16 lead en route to a three-set victory.
 
Kameryn Hayes and Lauren Bevan led the way for the Lady Buffs, both recording double-doubles. Hayes recorded a match-high 12 kills and added 22 assists, while Bevan contributed 10 kills and 10 digs. Defensively, West Texas A&M benefited from Jessica Johnson and Lexi Davis's two total blocks.
 
Reyes and Driver were the biggest offensive threats for the Lions, as both tied for a team-high seven kills. Courtney Tate did a good job of running the A&M-Commerce offense with 20 assists. Clark had a match-high three blocks and Davault added a match-high 17 digs for the Lions defensively.
 
The Lions clinched an LSC tournament berth with the win on Friday night over Eastern New Mexico and will return to Canyon, Texas on Thursday, November 13 for their first game of the tournament. The Lions will be playing the number one seeded West Texas A&M Lady Buffalos in the night cap at 7:30 p.m.