COMMERCE– The No. 21 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team lost in four sets to Angelo State on Friday night. After losing the first set, the Lions won the second set in extra points before dropping the next two sets. The set scores were 17-25, 27-25, 13-25, and 11-25.
 
The loss drops the Lions to 10-4 on the season and 4-1 in the Lone Star Conference. It was only the second loss at home for the Lions since the 2016 season. The Rambelles improve to 14-1 and 6-0 in conference play.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday as they host Lubbock Christian. The match will be played at 2 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
- Thoughts on the match: "It's frustrating because these are the types of teams that we want to play against. Angelo State is really good. After those first two sets, they frustrated our hitters so much. They are one of the top defensive teams in the country. They hold their opponents to a very low hitting percentage, and we knew that coming in. I just didn't think we responded to that challenge very well. Then that bled into everything else. Our passers got frustrated that we were not scoring, so they started to not play well. Then our hitters got frustrated from not scoring, so they didn't block very well. We have to focus on those things and figure out how to stay focused in the moment. We have to make sure one point does not become two or three, just because things are not going our way. This will be good for us. As we move forward from this, we will focus on those things that got exposed tonight. I'm very confident that we will address those things we saw tonight and continue to get better."
- On regrouping quickly for Saturday's match: "We have enough veterans and people in the locker room who understand that we have to move on. We can't do anything about Friday night, we have to take care of business on Saturday. Both us and Angelo have an entire season still ahead of us. We have to figure out how to regroup, and I think we will. We have to get out tomorrow and focus on playing Lion Volleyball and doing the little things we do. That will go a long way."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) led the Lions with 10 kills in the match. Shelley Chapron (Houston – St. Pius X) added nine kills.
- Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) led the team with 14 digs, while Natalie Sarbeck (Cypress – Cy-Fair) had 10 digs to go with nine assists.
- Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) led the team with 19 assists.
- ASU totaled 16 blocks in the match, holding the Lion to a .092 hitting percentage. The Rambelles also were aggressive on the serve, totaling 12 aces as well as 10 serving errors.
- It is only the second home loss for A&M-Commerce since the 2016 season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams traded runs early in the first set, as ASU took the first three points before the Lions responded back with three of their own. It was a one-point match midway through until the Rambelles began a run, taking seven of the next eight points to establish an eight-point lead. The Lions fought to cut the lead to four but could not close the gap, falling 25-17.
 
The Lions got off to a strong start in the second set, quickly establishing a lead. After ASU cut the Lion lead to two points, the Lions scored seven of the next nine points to take a 17-10 lead. After ASU went on a 3-0 run, the Lions responded with a 4-0 run to lead 21-13. ASU then went on a long run, scoring nine of the next 10 points to tie the match at 22 all. Both teams faced set point late before A&M-Commerce took the final three points of the set to win 27-25.
 
After splitting the first six points of the third set, things started to get away from the Lions. Aggressive serving from the Rambelles aided the cause, as ASU led 17-6. The Lions went on a 3-0 run to try and cut the deficit but ASU kept piling on, winning the set 25-13.
 
It was again an even start to the fourth set, as the teams were tied at five early. ASU then went on a run, stringing together multiple rallies to which the Lions could not respond. ASU won the set 25-11.