FORT SMITH, Ark.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team defeated Arkansas-Fort Smith in four sets on Saturday afternoon. After falling in the first set, the Lions took the final three sets, including two sets that went to extra points. The set scores were 21-25, 30-28, 25-22, and 28-26.
 
The win brings the Lions to 13-4 on the season and 7-1 in the Lone Star Conference. The Lions also picked up another win in their division, moving to 4-0 in divisional games. UAFS falls to 13-5 and 7-1 in conference play, as well as 5-1 in the division.
 
The Lions return to action on Tuesday in a non-conference match against St. Mary's. The match will be played at 6 p.m. at the Field House. Tickets to all Lion Volleyball home matches can be purchased at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office inside the Field House during business hours.
 
HEAD COACH CRAIG CASE AFTER THE MATCH
- On getting the win in extra points in the second set: "They really had every advantage there at the end of the second set. We were out of subs and had players playing out of position. But our team did a good job of focusing on what they needed to do in all of those situations and we were able to come away with some points. And the way we finished that second set really led the way we came into the rest of the match. That got us going, we played really good volleyball after that."
- On the play of Bina Njikam: "We had Bina hitting from so many different positions. There were some plays that she was hitting from two different spots on the same play. Throughout the match, she played at all three positions. It's hard as a hitter to do that. But if you can, then it's hard for the blockers to get used to you. I felt that she was very active today and we were doing a good job of getting her the ball in clutch times. At the end of the match, we were going to her and we were going to win or lose with her. I was really proud of how she played. Everybody in the gym knew she was getting the ball and she handled it very well."
- On Nicki Gonelli's play: "I thought Nicki was very good, especially in that crucial second set. She just can play at a very high level and she was hitting well today. She went against one of the best blockers in the league multiple times and there were times in the match where they did not have an answer for her. The more we can get her playing like that, that just adds another hitter to our lineup and that makes it easier for the other hitters to take off and have big matches."
- On the back row play: "Our back row was really good today, holding a team that typically hits .230 to about .150 today. Getting 80 digs in a four-set match is pretty impressive. We had three different players with close to 20 digs today. Dani, Savannah and Riley did a really good job. I thought Savannah was really good today. When the other team was playing on a very high level, she was really focused and locked in and stopped them from going on runs. She would make a big dig here or there or a big save and I think her ability to focus and play her best volleyball took away from their ability to go on runs."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Bina Njikam (Keller) led the way with a career-high 23 kills in the match. She hit .349 in the match, also recording three blocks.
- Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) had 13 kills while Shelley Chapron (Houston – St. Pius X) had 10 kills and a team-high seven blocks.
- Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point) also had 10 kills, hitting .412 in the match.
- Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) and Riley Davidson (Commerce) co-led the team with 20 digs apiece. Daniela Santos (Caracas, Venezuela) had 19 digs.
- Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) led the offense with a career-high 38 assists while Natalie Sarbeck (Cypress – Cy-Fair) added 22 assists.
- The Lions had 20 kills in two separate sets. Six different players had aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was an even start to the first set, as the teams split several points. Midway through the set, A&M-Commerce led 13-12. The Lions pushed their lead to 20-17 before UAFS went on a late run, scoring six points in a row to take the lead. The Lions could not recover, falling 25-21 in the set.
 
A&M-Commerce got off to a hot start in the second set, quickly jumping to an 8-4 lead. UAFS battled back to even the set at 14-all. UAFS took its irst lead of the set, leading 20-19 before Chapron and Greenwood had consecutive blocks as part of a rally that gave the Lion the lead. The set went into extra points, with UAFS leading 26-25. After what was ruled as a set-winning point for UAFS was challenged, the Lions were awarded the point, tying the match once again at 26-all. A&M-Commerce continued to battle as Njikam had several late kills and a Rutledge ace gave A&M-Commerce a 30-28 set win.
 
UAFS got off to a good start in the third set, taking a 7-2 early lead over A&M-Commerce. Gonelli then found the hot hand, earning four kills as part of the team's 7-1 run to take the lead. Another 5-1 run gave A&M-Commerce a 15-11 lead. UAF then went on a run, scoring nine of the next 11 points to take a 20-17 advantage. Njikam and Gonelli finished with a flourish, as A&M-Commerce took seven of the final eight points to win the set 25-22.
 
UAFS again got off to a hot start, winning four of the first five points. The Lions battled back to tie the set at 11-all. After UAFS went on a 6-1 run to again take a lead, the Lions fought back once more. going on their own 6-1 run. The teams traded points down the stretch, forcing extra points. The Lions were able to get the points they needed late, with Andersen recording the final two kills of the match, giving the Lions a 28-26 set win.