COMMERCE– The No. 25 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team defeated St. Mary's in straight sets on Tuesday night. The set scores were 25-18, 25-16, and 25-15.
 
The win brings the Lions to 14-4 on the season, while St. Mary's falls to 8-9 on the year.
 
The Lions return to divisional play on Friday as they host Texas Woman's. The match will be played at 6 p.m. at the Field House. The Lions will then host Midwestern State on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Tickets to Lion Volleyball home matches can be purchased by visiting 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

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions hit .388 in the match while holding the Rattlers to a .077 percentage. The Lions had 10 blocks in the match, one shy of tying a program-record for most in a three-set match.
- The Lions had 11 aces in the match, one shy of tying a program record for most in a three-set match. Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) led the team with five aces, including four consecutive aces in the second set. Riley Davidson (Commerce) added three ace.
- Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) led the Lion attack with 10 kills, hitting .476. Bina Njikam (Keller) added eight kills, hitting .462 while adding a team-high five blocks.
- Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock - Stony Point) also had eight kills, hitting .800 in the match. She also had a team-high five blocks. Keziah Williams (Branson, Mo.) added seven kills.
- Natalie Sarbeck (Cypress - Cy-Fair) led the Lion offense with 20 assists, while Vela had 18 assists.
- Daniela Santos (Caracas, Venezuela) had a team-high 14 digs. Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) added 10 digs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got off to a hot start, taking five of the first six points. Another 4-0 run gave the Lions an early 9-3 lead. The Lions pushed their lead to eight at the midway point of the set. The Rattlers attempted to get back in, going on 5-2 run to cut the Lion lead to just five points. However, A&M-Commerce finished with a fury, taking the set 25-18. The Lions hit .333 in the set, led by four kills from Njikam and three apiece for Andersen and Gonelli.
 
It was an even start to the second set, as the teams split the first 14 points. The Lions then went on a 5-1 run to establish a lead, led by multiple kills from Williams. The Rattlers fought back, tying the match at 14-all. The Lion offense then exploded, scoring 11 of the final 13 points. Vela had four consecutive aces as part of the rally. The Lions won the set 25-16, hitting .481 in the frame.
 
The Lions again got off to a good start in the third set, winning four of the first five points. The Rattlers went on a 3-0 run to tie the set before a 5-0 run by the Lions reestablished A&M-Commerce's lead. The run was fueled by a pair of kills and a block from Njikam. The Lions pushed the lead even further, scoring six of the next eight points to take a commanding 17-9 lead. The Lions continued to apply pressure down the stretch, winning the set 25-15.