WICHITA FALLS – After dropping the first set by a score of 25-20, the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team took the next three sets, by scores of 25-15, 25-21, and 25-21, to beat the Midwestern Mustangs, 3-1 on Friday night at D.L. Ligon Colesium.
 
The Lions have won four Lone Star Conference matches in a row and hold a winning record for the first time this year at 4-3. They are 5-7 overall. The Mustangs fall to 3-12 on the season overall and 1-6 in LSC matches.
 
The Mustangs were on the brink of forcing a deciding set, leading 19-16 in the fourth set, but the Lions put together a 5-0 run to take the lead and closed out the match with a 4-1 run to win the set, 25-21. Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.) delivered the match win on her 10^th kill of the night, on Celeste Vela's 37^th assist of the match.
 
Midwestern State won the first set by a score of 25-20. MSU trailed 10-7 in the set, but went on a 4-0 to take the lead and withstood two 4-0 runs by the Lions to win three of the last four points of the set.
 
The Lions answered with a strong effort in the second set, winning it 25-15. Midwestern State won the first point of the set, which was its only lead in the set. The Lions hit .273 in the set compared to .000 for the Mustangs.
 
A&M-Commerce won the set an assisted block by Taryn Cast (Peaster) and Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.). Andersen had seven blocks (one solo, six assisted) in the match, Cast had five assisted blocks, and Maiya Dickie (Huntsville) had a solo block and two assisted.
 
The Mustangs, on a kill by Lissette Lefforge, had a 13-12 lead in the third. The Lions won seven of the next eight to build a 19-14 lead. Midwestern State made it close, getting to within 23-21, but lost the set, 25-21, on a kill by Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum). Allen had a double-double for the second match in a row with 13 kills and 15 digs.
 
Dickie also had 13 kills and Rashford recorded 10 kills. Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) led the team with 24 digs, Riley Davidson (Commerce) picked up nine digs, and Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) had eight digs.
 
Vela had 37 assists and a service ace as well. A&M-Commerce had seven aces in the match with Hebert serving up two of them.
 
In the match, the Lions outhit the Mustangs, .188 to .124. A&M-Commerce has won seven-straight meetings over Midwestern State and 10 of the last 11.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions are on the road for one more match before returning home for homecoming weekend. A&M-Commerce travels to Cameron to face the Aggies on Saturday at 2 p.m.