DENVER, Colo. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team lost a tightly-contested five set match to Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday night. The set scores were 25-16, 22-25, 25-27, 26-24, and 15-8.
 
The Lions fall to 24-7 on the season and they are eliminated from further competition. It was the Lions' third consecutive trip to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. UAFS improves to 27-6 on the year and they advance to the Regional Semifinal match.
 
THOUGHTS AFTER THE MATCH (Link)
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had her best all-around game of the season, recording a triple double. She led the team with 14 kills, while also having a team-high 30 assists and 17 digs.
- Nicki Gonelli (Round Rock – Stony Point) had 12 kills and a pair of blocks.
- Bina Njikam (Keller) and Keziah Willaims (Branson, Mo.) also had double-figure kills with 10 apiece.
- Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) led the team with 22 digs.
- UAFS had 15 blocks in the match.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The teams split the first eight points of the match as the teams looked to establish a rhythm. It was the Lions who found the hot hand, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to establish a 14-5 lead. Another 4-0 run gave the Lions a 12-point lead in the set. UAFS attempted a comeback but the Lions would not have it, winning the set 25-16.
 
UAFS got off to the hot start in the second set, scoring seven of the first nine points. The Lions began to slowly chip away at the lead, eventually tying the set at 13-all. UAFS responded by going on a 5-1 run to build a lead again. The Lions continued to fight, but ran out of opportunities, losing the set 25-22.
 
UAFS again got off to a strong start in the third set, leading 5-2, and eventually pushed their lead to 14-6. Again the Lions fought back, including a 5-0 run late to tie the set at 20-all. The set went into extra points as neither team wanted to fall, but UAFS took the set 27-25.
 
The Lions got out strong in the fourth set, building an early 9-4 lead. The Lions held the lead until a 4-0 UAFS run tied the set at 17-all. The teams traded mini runs through the rest of the set, with the set again going into extra points. The Lions took the final three points to win the set 26-24.
 
After the teams split the first 10 points of the final set, UAFS went on a run to seal the match, scoring six points in a row. The Lions continued to fight but could not overcome the deficit, falling 15-8.