STEPHENVILLE– The No. 22 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team defeated Texas A&M University-Kingsville 3-2 on Friday night in the Lone Star Conference semifinal match. The Lions lost the first two sets but answered back by winning the final three sets. The set scores were 20-25, 24-26, 25-17, 25-23 and 15-12.
 
The win brings the Lions to 27-5 on the season and they advance to the LSC Championship for the first time since 1994. The Javelinas fall to 19-14 and are eliminated from the tournament.
 
The Lions will face No. 12 Tarleton State, the top seed and host, in the championship match. The LSC Championship match, with an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament on the line, will be played at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions won the match after trailing 2-0. It is the third time this season the Lions have won after trailing 2-0. The Lions are 8-3 in five-set matches this season.
- With the win, the Lions advance to the LSC Championship match for the first time since 1994. The Lions' last LSC Championship came in 1987.
- The Lions had five players record double-digit kills. Jaslyn Wacker (Austin - Vista Ridge) led the Lion attach with 11 kills while adding five blocks.
- Jaryn Wacker (Austin - Vista Ridge) had 10 kills and eight digs. Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) came just short of a triple double with 10 kills, 14 assists and nine digs.
- Bina Njikam (Keller) had 10 kills and three blocks. Shelley Chapron (Houston - St. Pius X) added 10 kills and five blocks.
- Rylie Fuentes (Robinson) led the team with 27 assists and added nine digs. Daniela Santos (Caracas, Venezuela) had eight digs.
Riley Davidson (Commerce) had seven digs and three aces. Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands - College Park) had nine digs and added three aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions took five of the first seven points of the match, taking advantage of multiple errors from the Javelinas. Kingsville would turn it around to score three of the next four points to pull within one. The teams would then go on to trade points for much of the set. Neither team could establish a run longer than two points until the Javelinas pulled away late. They took seven of the final eight points to win the set 25-20. Njikam led the Lions with three kills in the set.
 
The Lions took three points in a row early in the second set before the Javelinas took five points in a row to take a four-point lead. The Lions clawed back to get within one before the Javelinas again had a three-point rally to go up four. A&M-Commerce was undeterred however, scoring three of their own to pull back within one. The teams traded rallies again and the Lions tied the score late, sending the set into extra points. However, the Javelinas scored the final two points to win the set 26-24. Jaryn Wacker led the Lions with four kills in the set.
 
The Lions came out of the gate firing in the third set. They went on an early 10-2 run to establish a nine-point lead. The Javelinas went on a 4-0 run to get to within five. But the Lions clamped down, taking the set 25-17. Jaslyn Wacker, Njikam and Chapron all had three kills in the set to lead the Lions.
 
The Lions got off to another hot start in the fourth set, taking five of the first seven points. The Javelinas fought back to tie the match at six. Kingsville took a 10-8 lead before the Lions answered back with four points in a row. It was part of an 11-3 run that put the Lions up 19-13. The Javelinas stormed back to take a 23-22 lead in the set. However, the Lions rallied late, taking the final three points to win the set 25-23. Vela had four kills in the set to lead the Lion attack.
 
The Lions took the first six points of the fifth set, with Vela recording three early kills. Trailing 8-1, the Javelinas then scored five in a row to cut the Lion lead to two points. The Lions built the lead back up again to five before the Javelinas cut the lead to two points. The Lions would not be denied however, taking the set 15-12 to win the match. Vela and Jaslyn Wacker led the attack with three kills apiece in the deciding set.