COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team looks to continue its home court advantage as they host Texas A&M University-Kingsville on Saturday. The Javelinas defeated the Lions in four sets earlier in the season on the road.
 
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (15-9, 10-4 LSC) vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (16-9, 8-5 LSC)
WHERE: The Field House in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 28 at 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: lionathletics.com/live
TICKETS: Click HERE
 
The Lions are coming off of a sweep against Texas Woman's on Tuesday. The Lions returned the favor to TWU after being swept by the Pioneers earlier in the season. Head coach Craig Case was pleased with the way his team put pressure on TWU and didn't let up.
 
"I thought we had a good relentlessness," Case said. "That was the thing we talked about before and after the match. When we got them in positions where they weren't playing well, we kept pouring it on and we kept putting pressure on them. We didn't let up and let them get their feet underneath them. They are a good team and I'm as surprised as anybody that we swept them. I'm happy about it.
 
"I think we did a lot of good things in that match in terms of keeping the pressure on TWU and when they dug themselves into a hole or we dug a hole for them, we didn't let them out of that hole. I thought that went a long way to creating that sweep."
 
The Lions were able to hit nearly .400 in the match. Case credited his team's defense and setters in making good contact and decisions to allow the hitters to have so much success.
 
"I thought our first contacts were really good," he said. "That is something we focused on. And I thought both setters did a nice job of making competitive decisions that put hitters in positions to be successful. Then the hitters were able to finish it off. I thought the most critical thing in that was our first contacts were high quality and our second contacts were good decisions. And it ended up being an effective hitting night."
 
The Lions also had 10 blocks in the match. A&M-Commerce leads the Lone Star Conference in blocking. Case said there really isn't a secret to being a good blocking team. He gives credit to his players for executing on defense and preparing before matches.
 
"I think our players have a defensive mindset most of the time," he said. "I think that mindset helps them be successful in those situations. It's a lot of preparation too. Our players are getting in, are watching film, understanding what hitters are trying to do. And then they are going out and executing in those situations. There is no secret. We are just going out and trying to be a good defensive team. Sometimes you get a lot of blocks and sometimes you don't. We were lucky on Tuesday night that we were able to have a good blocking night."
 
The Lions will now face A&M-Kingsville in a crucial match. The winner of the match would hold onto second place in the conference standings. The Javelinas got the better of the Lions in their last matchup, defeating A&M-Commerce in four sets. Case is hoping his team can clean up what went wrong in Kingsville and continue to do the things they did well on Tuesday.
 
"They are a fantastic team," Case said of A&M-Kingsville. "They have great hitters, they have a great setter and they have good ball control. We are going to have to play our best match. In order to beat a team like that, that is what we are going to have to do. We are excited.
 
"The biggest thing we need to change from the first match is our ball control. That has to be a lot better.  We really struggled. We got aced 16 times when we were there. That has got to change. We've got to be able to control the ball. Again, that is the first contact we talked about that we were successful at this last match. Hopefully we can have better first contacts and give our setters the opportunity to make really competitive decisions on that second contact."
 
The match has been designated as the "Dig Pink" match. The Lions will wear pink in support of cancer awareness and all fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match. Case said this is an important cause that his team wants to support.
 
"Every year we do this," he said. "It is important. At some level, directly or indirectly, our players are going to be affected by this in their lifetime. It is important that we have awareness of it and we understand that those are some of the things we are going to deal with in life. It is a good opportunity for our players to step back for a minute and think about those it affects and the importance of that cause."
 
Tickets for Saturday's match are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House.