COMMERCE– The No. 23 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team suffered a 3-2 loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday evening. The set scores were 17-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22, and 6-15.
 
The loss brings A&M-Commerce to 19-5 on the season, 11-2 in conference play and 6-1 in their division. UAFS improves to 19-5 on the season, 12-1 in conference play and 6-1 in the division. The teams split the regular season series, with each team winning on the road.
 
The Lions are back in action at 4 p.m. on Saturday against Cameron. The match will be played at the Field House.
 
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
- Shelley Chapron (Houston – St. Pius X) led the team in hitting percentage, hitting .423 with 12 kills and a team-high seven blocks.
- Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) led the team with 15 kills and also had four blocks.
- Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) led the team with 29 assists, while Natalie Sarbeck (Cypress – Cy-Fair) had 18.
- Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) led the team with 21 digs.
- UAFS hit .230 in the match and held A&M-Commerce to a .153 percentage.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The match started with two mini runs, as UAFS scored the first three, followed by four consecutive for the Lions. The teams went back and forth until a 4-0 run gave UAFS a 12-8 lead at the midway mark. UAFS began to pull away and the Lions could not recover, falling 25-17 in the set.
 
It was a back-and-forth second set as the teams were tied at 13 at the halfway point. The set was tied on several occasions until UAFS scored three in a row to take a 21-18 advantage. The Lions battled back to within one point but could not overcome the deficit, falling 25-22.
 
It was again an evenly played start to the third set, as the team were once again tied at 13 at the middle point of the set. The Lions then went on a 4-0 run to take the lead for good, with three kills from Chapron. The Lions took the third set 25-19.
 
The Lions got off to a hot start in the fourth set, taking a 12-6 advantage. UAFS battled back to within one point at the halfway mark, as A&M-Commerce led 13-12. After the match was tied at 17, A&M-Commerce finished the set with a flourish, winning the set 25-22.
 
It was not meant to be for A&M-Commerce as UAFS scored seven points in a row early in the final set to take a large lead. The Lions could not find their footing in the final set, falling 15-6.