STEPHENVILLE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team lost 3-1 to No. 13 Tarleton State on Saturday. The Lions won the first set but fell in the final three sets. The set scores were 25-21, 11-25, 21-25 and 17-25.
 
The loss brings the Lion to 14-9 and 9-4 in the Lone Star Conference. The TexAnns improve to 20-4 and 12-1 in conference action.
 
The Lions return home on Tuesday for a match against Texas Woman's. The match will begin at 6 p.m. at the Field House.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Jaslyn Wacker had 12 kills with a hitting percentage of .417. She also had six blocks, including two solo blocks.
- Shelley Chapron also had 12 kills and added four blocks.
- Mariyah Oliver had seven kills and four blocks. Layne Little added five kills and two blocks.
- Preston Lienemann led the team with 12 digs and added two kills and two aces. Savannah Rutledge had nine digs.
- Gabriela Rosa and Rylie Fuentes had 16 assists each in the match. Rosa also had nine digs.
- TSU hit .259 in the match, recording 20 more kills than the Lions.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The TexAnns jumped out to the early lead in the first set, quickly taking an 11-7 lead. The Lions then went on a run, scoring five of the next six points to tie the match at 12 midway through the set. Chapron had two blocks and a kill in the sequence while Oliver also had a kill and a block.
 
The teams traded rallies before TSU took a 17-15 lead. The Lions again rallied, scoring six points in a row. Wacker had a kill and an ace in the rally as the Lions took their largest lead of the entire match, a 21-17 advantage. The Lions won the first set 25-21.
 
The Lions held a lead early in the second set before TSU went on a long rally. With the match tied at 9-all, the TexAnns scored nine points in a row to take control of the set. It was part of a 16-2 run by Tarleton to win the second set 25-11.
 
The teams split the first six points of the third set before TSU took a two-point lead. The Lions then rallied with four points in a row, including two aces in a row from Lienemann. At the midway mark of the set, the teams were tied at 12.
 
The TexAnns then started to take control of the set, winning four of the next five points. The Lions tried to rally with three points in a row late but could not overcome the deficit and fell 25-21.
 
TSU took the first four points of the fourth set. The Lions then answered back to win five of the next six points to tie the match at 6-all. The rally was capped off by two consecutive kills from Wacker.
 
With the set tied at 8-all, TSU then scored three points in a row and six points in a seven point stretch to take control of the set. TSU led by as many as eight before a Lion run cut the lead back down to five. It was too much to overcome however and the Lions fell in the final set 25-17.